Third Watch, 12 Days of Christmas 2004: Day 12: Hear the Angel Voices (1/1)
Title: The 12 Days of Christmas, 2004. Story 12: Hear the Angel Voices
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Emails: mauriceboscorelli@yahoo.com and faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Spoilers: Some of sixth season.
Category: Fluff
Rating: PG
Summary: Sequel to last year's "Calling All Angels". It's Christmas Eve, and time for the angels of the 55 to visit their friends on Earth.
"I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already," Alex murmured.
Bobby nodded. "I know, time really flew."
"Goes quicker...up here," Tatiana said.
"That's okay with me," Emily said softly. "It means I can see my mom sooner."
Tatiana smiled softly. "I'm sure she's excited to see you."
"I think everybody's excited to see us this year," Bobby told them. He then looked over at the newest member of their group who was standing off by himself.
Mikey Boscorelli remained silent, his hands in his jean pockets.
Emily bit her lip and looked at the others before slowly walking over to Mikey. "Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," he said back, feeling uncomfortable.
She glanced over her shoulder then turned back to him as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Did they tell you about what happens tonight?"
"Yeah, but...I don't know if it's such a good idea. I don't think Ma or Mo would be very happy to see me."
The young girl stared at him. "Are you kidding? Of course they'd be happy to see you."
"I don't know, Em."
"Last year, I didn't think my mom woulda wanted see me at all," she said softly. "I didn't die because I was trying to make things better like you were...I was stupid and that's how I got here. But my mom, she was still happy to see me. She was thrilled."
"I'm sure she was. I just...this whole death thing is still new to me."
"I know, but I know that they'd like to see you and get a chance to...well, say goodbye," she whispered.
Mikey drew in a breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're probably right."
Emily offered him a small smile. "Come on, it'll be time to go soon."
"Mo's not gonna believe this," he mumbled, grinning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco looked at the name on caller id, and recognizing it as Faith's cell phone he sighed. He let it ring one more time before answering. "I'm fine, Faith," he told her softly, not bothering to say hello. "I ordered a pizza for dinner and I've done my exercises."
"And what makes you so sure that's why I was calling?"
"Because you've called me every night since I got out of the hospital last week, and every night you ask how I am, if I ate and if I did my exercises."
"Oh." She fell silent.
"But thank you for calling," he said softly.
"Boz...are you sure you're okay there alone?"
"I'm doin' alright, Faith. I've honestly just been sittin' here doing nothing most of the day."
"Well, why don't I come over? Keep you company."
"You don't have to do that. You've already been goin' outta your way to help me..."
She bit her lip. "If you change your mind...call me?"
"Are you okay, Faith?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly.
His eyebrows furrowed, and he was quiet for a moment. Remembering that she herself was alone he started to get concerned. "You know, on second thought I wouldn't mind having some company."
"Now you're just feeling sorry for me." Her voice was light.
"But I bet you're happy to know I still got feelings, right?" He teased.
"Oh, I always knew you did. In a shallow grave in Jersey, remember?" she joked.
"Yeah." Bosco chuckled softly. "If the pizza gets here before you do I'll save you some."
"What makes you think I'm comin' over?" she teased.
"I know you, and I know you're itchin' to come over here and check up on me despite everything," he told her, a smile on his face.
"Maybe." She couldn't help but smile.
"I'll see you in a little while."
"Bye." She hung up the phone and glanced at her tree.
Bosco hit the 'off' button on the phone and then grabbed the phone book that was on the coffee table figuring he'd better call and order a pizza. He hadn't expected her to be coming over when he'd created the lie, so now he better make it the truth. After dialing the number to the pizza place he stared over toward the corner where his Christmas tree usually stood.
There hadn't been any reason to put it up this year.
"Hey, Mo."
Startled by the voice he dropped the phone and his eyes widened.
"I know, it's..." Mikey looked down at himself. "It's weird for me too."
He swallowed hard. "I gotta get my medication switched," he murmured, not believing what he was seeing.
"Mo, it's me...I'm really here," Mikey told him, taking a couple steps toward him.
Bosco stood up and shook his head slightly. "But you...you can't be," he whispered. "I saw..." He swallowed hard. "You can't be."
"It's sort of a long story. See apparently once you're up there." Mikey pointed upwards. "You get to visit someone once a year...on Christmas Eve."
Still a little skeptical he took a couple steps forward on shaky legs.
"Merry Christmas, Mo." Mikey smiled at him.
Tears formed in his eyes as he reached out and touched his brother's arms, then his neck, checking to make sure that the angel version of his brother was in one piece. Satisfied that he was, he pulled him into a fierce hug. "Oh God, Michael," he whispered.
He hugged him back tightly. "I missed you too."
"I'm so sorry, Mikey." He clutched his little brother's shirt in his hands and tears started to roll down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."
"You have no reason to say sorry, Mo. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I did it all wrong. I didn't help you enough. Please forgive me."
"All right, all right. I forgive you. Come on. That's not why I'm here."
Bosco took a deep breath and then managed to pull himself away from Mikey. He wiped at his eyes as he attempted to gather himself.
"Good to see you outta that hospital bed."
"Yeah. Yeah, it's good to be out of that place." He was quiet for a moment, this just seemed so strange. "So you...you've really been watchin'? You guys do that?"
"Of course. That's what angels do...unless you're naked or...you know." Mikey made a face. "None of us really wanna see that."
"Michael!"
"Not that you've been doin' much of either."
"Yeah." He shook his head. "I'm thinkin' it's gonna be a long time until I'm...well, you know what I mean."
"Yeah, Mo. I know."
He took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. "Mikey?" He whispered.
"Yeah?"
"When I was uh...when I was in surgery, I thought I...saw you," he said softly. "Did I? Was I dead?"
"For a few seconds. Yeah." He nodded.
Bosco let out a breath and nodded his head. He shifted his gaze back to Mikey's face. "How long can you stay?"
"Not long," he said quietly. "Just a few minutes."
"What about ma? You said you could visit one person."
"You needed to see me more."
"But she misses you, too. We both miss you so bad," he whispered as he gazed at his brother.
"I know. But seein' as this is my first Christmas...I don't know how well bendin' the rules would go over."
"Is it...okay for me to tell her about this?" He questioned softly as he slowly sat back down on the sofa.
"Yeah, sure. And be sure and tell her that...I love her."
"I will, Michael." Bosco nodded his head. "I promise."
Mikey's image began to fade a little and he looked down at himself. "I guess my time's runnin' out."
"No. Please." He looked upward. "Don't make him go," he whispered.
"Mo...I gotta go," he whispered. "But I'll be back next year."
He quickly stood back up and wrapped his arms around his fading brother. "I love you," he told him softly. "I always did."
"I know. I love you, too, Maurice."
"Thank you."
"Merry Christmas...oh, and Mo?"
"Yeah?"
"Faith's gettin' a visit tonight too...but you two should spend the evening together."
"From Emily?"
Michael nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay, well...Faith's supposed to be on her way over so..." He swallowed hard, a tear shining in his eye. "I'm glad you came."
He smiled. "Take care, Maurice. I'll be lookin' out after you."
"I need all the help I can get," he whispered, a soft smile on his face.
He grinned. "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas," he murmured as his brother vanished from the room. For a moment Bosco just stood there, still shocked about what had happened. Letting out a breath he slowly looked around the room and realizing he was alone once again he sat down on the sofa and just stared in the direction of where his brother had been as a tear made it's way down his cheek.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kim sat curled up on the sofa in her warm flannel robe, her gaze locked on the clock above the fireplace. Five minutes til Midnight. A smile touched her lips as her view was blocked by a familiar tall figure. "I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show."
"Oh come on, you know I'm reliable," Bobby said with a grin. "We just got some newbies and I needed to make sure they knew what was happening."
"Of course. Always takin' care of everyone else." She smiled and stood up. "Hey, Bobby."
"Hey, Kim," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her.
She hugged him tightly. "I've missed you."
"Not that much I see," he said with a smile as he pulled away, but only far enough so he could place a hand on her stomach.
A faint chuckle escaped her. "More than you know."
He kissed her cheek. "I've missed you, too. But you seem to be doin' good...you and Jimmy." He rubbed his hand back and forth over her stomach.
"Yeah. Yeah, we are. And Joey...God, Bobby, he's gettin' so big. Of course you already knew that."
He nodded his head. "Yeah, I know, but it's still nice havin' you tell me."
She smiled. "Thanks for....looking out for us," she whispered.
"It's no problem at all. Come on, let's get you off your feet." He led her over to the sofa.
Kim sat down, her legs curled beneath her. "How are you?"
"I'm an angel, Kim. I'm perfect," he teased.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "You always did think that."
He put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm doing good. I've really adjusted to just kinda being on the outside looking in. It's just so sad though cause the only other way I get to see anyone, other than on Christmas Eve, is if they die," he said softly.
Sighing softly, she leaned against him. "And Alex?"
"She's doin' great. I won't lie...it's nice to have a friend up there."
"I'm sure it is," she murmured.
"So you're happy? Truly happy being with Jimmy again?"
Kim smiled. "Yeah. It's better this time though...he's changed a lot. So have I."
He nodded his head.
"Kimmy, who are you..." Jimmy froze, his eyes wide as he walked into the room.
She quickly turned to face him. "Hey, Jimmy."
“What's goin' on?" He questioned as he stared at Bobby. "I gotta get more sleep."
"You're not dreaming, Jimmy," she said softly. "Bobby's really here. He gets to visit on Christmas Eve."
Jimmy blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Well I guess...if you're seein' him too then...he must be here," he said softly.
She smiled at him. "He's been lookin' after us."
"Caffey's been lookin' after us and he still let us get back together? Amazing," he joked.
"Hey." Bobby pointed at the other man. "Just remember, I can have a bolt of lightning ordered to strike you like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Kim chuckled. "Stop."
The two men chuckled and Jimmy moved over to sit on the coffee table. He stared at Bobby for a second then reached out to shake his hand. "It's good to see you, Bobby," he told him sincerely.
"You too, Doherty."
She rested a hand on her stomach. "So what's the word, Bobby? Are we havin' another boy or are we havin' a girl this time?"
"Oh I'm not about to ruin the surprise," he told her with a smile, placing his hand next to hers, his smile widening when he felt the baby move.
Her eyes were full of warmth. "How long can you stay?"
He sighed. "Not real long," he told her softly. "But rumor has it that we're gonna get to start stayin' longer next year."
"Yeah?" Her voice was hopeful.
"Yeah." Bobby nodded his head. "And who knows, maybe we'll get to pick another day to come visit. They realize up there that even though we don't have any worries of our own, that we worry about our friends and family down here, so who knows what could happen."
"Well, we'd love that."
"So, I've been listening in whenever I get a chance, but I haven't heard you guys talkin' about names for the baby," Bobby commented.
Jimmy looked at Kim and smiled then shifted his gaze to Bobby. "Oh well, the name...that was easy to come up with. I only put up a little fight on it."
"We're gonna name him...or her...Bobby," she whispered.
His eyes widened. "Get out."
"Seriously."
He chuckled softly. "You're gonna name the baby Bobby, after me?"
"Yeah, cause I sure as hell wasn't namin' my kid Roberto or Roberta," Jimmy said lightly. "But Bobby I can handle."
"And who better to name our baby after than our very own guardian angel?"
"Oh you guys, this is..." He wrapped his arms around Kim.
She hugged him back, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Thank you," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back.
"Is this baby gonna be healthy, Bobby?" she whispered back.
"Yeah, Kim. Of course," he told her softly. "I'm not gonna let anything happen."
She let out a breath. "Sorry...I've just been paranoid."
"It's okay." He kissed her temple. "A lot's happened this year, it makes sense to be a little paranoid."
"I miss you."
"I miss you, too," he murmured. "But I'm in no hurry for you to join me up there."
"Me either. No offense." She touched his cheek.
"None taken." He smiled at her, then closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to commit her touch to memory. "I gotta get goin'," he whispered.
Kim bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder. "I wish you could stay longer."
"Yeah, Bobby. See what you can do about gettin' the Big Guy to extend visiting hours," Jimmy said with a smile.
"You sure you'd want me hangin' around that much?" He asked Doherty with a grin.
"We definitely would. And this time next year..." She rested a hand on her stomach once more. "We'll make sure Joey and the little one get to see you too."
"I would love that." Leaning down Bobby kissed her stomach through the material of her shirt. "See ya, Bobby," he whispered to the baby.
Tears prickled at her eyelids. "Bye, Bobby," she whispered.
"Love you, Kim. Give Joey a hug for me," he told her quietly. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." She quickly hugged him one last time, kissing his cheek.
As he started to vanish he looked at Jimmy. "You take good care of them," he told the other man.
Jimmy nodded his head. "I will."
She bit her lip as she watched him disappear.
"Kim...he was really..."
"Yeah," she whispered, slowly turning to look at him. "He came last year too."
"Wow, that's..." He shook his head slightly, unsure of what to say.
"A miracle."
He moved over to sit where Bobby had just been and he kissed her softly. "I'm gonna take care of you and Joey and our little Bobby. I promise you."
"I know you will," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his. "Merry Christmas, Jimmy."
"Merry Christmas, Kimmy."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ty sat slumped on his couch, bored expression on his face as he aimlessly flipped through the channels. Carlos had plans for the night and was gone a lot longer than he'd expected, not that having his roommate there would have made a difference though. Christmas Eve or not, he just wasn't into the holiday spirit this year.
"Now here's somethin' I never expected. Ty Davis sitting at home by himself on Christmas Eve."
Startled he quickly turned toward the voice. "How the hell did you---," he started firmly, then his eyes widened when he saw who was there. "Get in here," he finished in a whisper.
Alex Taylor smirked. "The good thing about bein' dead is you can walk right through doorways and walls. No knocking or anything."
He shook his head. "You aren't...you aren't really here." Davis shook his head and looked around nervously. "This is just...just a really, really bad practical joke."
"Come on, Ty. You haven't been drinking and you're not asleep."
"But this, this doesn't make any sense." He told her, holding up his hands. He then pointed at her. "You're dead," he said softly. "And I'm not."
"It's also Christmas Eve. A lot of your friends are gettin' visitors tonight. Sully, Yokas, Bosco..."
"Sully?"
"Yeah...his wife...Tatiana."
"You're tellin' me that Tatiana is visiting Sully tonight?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes."
"Don't roll your eyes. I'm obviously new to this and just cause it makes sense to you..."
"I didn't come here for chit chat, Davis," she informed him.
"Then why?" He asked softly.
Alex smiled very faintly. "Dual purpose actually." She gazed at him. "First of all...stop holding onto all that guilt you feel."
He shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She gave him a look. "About -us.-"
Rubbing a hand over his head he looked away.
"Let it go, Ty."
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to hurt you."
"I know that. But to be honest...I got over you." She smiled.
Turning to look at her his eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
She chuckled. "Oh, come on. It wasn't true love and we both know it. We needed each other for awhile and..." She shrugged.
He nodded his head, and held his hand out to her.
Alex took his hand and sat down beside him. "Now. About Sasha Monroe."
"Don't. I don't wanna talk about that bitch."
"Ty." Her voice was stern. "She messed up. She doesn't deserve the hatred."
"What?" He looked at her. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what she's done? How she's lied to us?"
Alex gave him a look. "I know more about it than you do," she informed him.
"Oh, yeah? Then why would she do that, huh? Why would she act like she was our friend, and like she really cared about me when all she was really doing was digging for information on us?"
"That's your perception of what she did. It's not fact." She gazed at him evenly. "I'll be straight with you. I understand why you're hurt, why you're angry. If I didn't know the things I do, I'd feel the same way. But Monroe...she has a good heart. And she -does- care about you. But she also truly believes that she's doing the right thing. And Ty? She never tried to dig up information on any of you. At least not til a few weeks ago when she was forced to go after Cruz."
Letting out a breath he rested his head on the back of the sofa. "It's hard, Al. Knowin' that she was IAB, that she was a detective all this time. I mean...I trusted her."
"I know." Her voice was soft.
He squeezed her hand and turned his head to gaze at her. "You're really here, aren't you?"
"I really am."
A smile touched his lips. "I've missed you."
She smirked. "Of course you have."
"Even though you're a pain in the ass," he teased.
Alex chuckled. "Takes one to know one."
"So what's the deal? You sit up there and watch all of us?"
"Most of the time, yeah. When I'm not playing Blackjack or Poker with Bobby."
Davis chuckled. "They allow gambling up there?"
"Of course. It is heaven." She grinned.
He smiled. "There's lots of good people up there."
"Yes, there are." She began to fade a little, and sighed. "Time's running out."
"You're leavin' already?"
"Don't have a choice. We have a time limit." She leaned over, kissed his cheek, then stood up. "Oh, and Ty?"
"Yeah?" He whispered.
"Your dad says hello...and thank you."
Ty quickly stood up. "My dad?"
Alex gazed at him, nodding. "And he says to lighten up on Sully. He did what your dad wanted him to."
He nodded his head slowly. "Will you tell him that I love him. That I miss him."
"You bet." She offered him a soft, warm smile. "Merry Christmas, Ty."
Seeing that she was starting to fade faster, Davis quickly wrapped his arms around her. "Merry Christmas, Alex. Thank you."
She hugged him back tightly. "Take care. I'll be watchin' over you." Without another word, she vanished.
Though it was one of the strangest moments of his life, Ty couldn't help but smile.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Faith was already dressed and ready to go to Bosco's, but she hadn't convinced herself to get off her sofa yet. Her eyes were fixed on the clock and she was hoping against everything that somehow Emily would show up and that last year's visit hadn't been all in her head.
Emily made her way down the hall and smiled at her mother. "Sorry I didn't get here sooner, I was watchin' to make sure Mikey did okay."
She looked up quickly, a smile touching her lips. "Mikey? Bosco's brother?"
"Yeah." Emily nodded her head as she made her way over and sat down beside her mom. "He wasn't real sure Bosco would want to see him."
"Of course he would." She quickly hugged her daughter, closing her eyes.
"Merry Christmas, mom," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around her.
"Merry Christmas, Emmy," she whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"I've been waitin' a long time for this," she told her softly.
"Me too. God, I've missed you so much."
"I missed you, too." She pulled back a little. "I'm so glad you're okay...and that Bosco's gettin' better."
Faith swallowed hard, gazing at her intently. "Are they takin' care of you up there?" she whispered.
"Of course they are. Bobby and Alex and Tatiana. Oh, and Alex's dad too. We're like our own little family. Now I'm just tryin' to get Mikey to come outta his shell a little. He seems nervous."
"Yeah, he's..." She let out a breath. "He always seemed kinda nervous here, too."
"Guess that happens when your dad is who he is," she said softly. "But enough about that. You look great."
She smiled. "Thank you. I guess there's no need to tell you I got promoted."
Emily smiled. "I watched the ceremony."
"You did?" she whispered.
"Of course I did. I'm proud of you. You totally deserve it."
"Thank you." She hugged her again. "I wondered if you were up there...watchin'."
"I'm always watchin', well, at least until you start dating," she joked.
She chuckled softly.
"So...when -are- you gonna start dating?"
Faith shrugged slightly. "Haven't met anyone."
"Haven't tried is more like it."
"Okay, you got me." She leaned back against the sofa.
"The right guy is out there. He's probably closer than you think," she told her mother softly as she rested her head on her shoulder.
"You think so?" She wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders.
"I know so. I've got lots of time to look into these things," she said with a smile.
"So are you thinking of someone specific?"
"If you haven't figured it out by next Christmas Eve I'll tell you exactly who I'm thinking of."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "So you are thinking of someone specific."
Emily chuckled. "That would be a yes, and I think you know who I'm thinking of. You just won't admit it."
"Look, Em, your dad and I aren't gonna get back together, so--"
"I'm not talkin' about dad."
"Then who?" She shook her head.
"Oh come on, you think I'm gonna make this easy on you," she said lightly.
"Well that would be nice. It is Christmas."
"You sure you don't want the fun of figuring it out on your own?"
"I have enough detective work to do at work, Em. Help me out here. Who are you thinking of?" she asked curiously.
She grinned. "Well, let's just say you should probably stop and get some pizza on your way cause he never actually ordered one."
Faith's mouth dropped open. "What?"
"And he lied about doin' his exercises too. He's been sittin' around like a bump on a log the last couple days."
"Wait a minute, back up, Emily. Are you telling me you think I should hook up with -Bosco-?"
"The one and only."
She stared at her for a moment in silence. "Is that some kind of practical joke? Did Bobby or Taylor tell you to tell me that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh come on mom. It is -so- obvious. I mean...the way he sat outside your door last Christmas cause you wouldn't answer the phone and he was worried. And the way you've been by his side since the day he was shot. The way you call him every night even if you've seen him during the day. You've got it so bad you don't even know it."
"I do not!" Her cheeks grew warm.
"Sure you don't," she chuckled. "Keep tellin' yourself that."
"Emily Amanda." She shook her head.
"You know you love him, mom," she whispered.
"Yeah, but...not like that," she denied, shaking her head again.
"Fine. Don't believe me."
"Emily, it's just...Bosco?"
She nodded her head. "You're the only one who really gets to see the true Bosco...Maurice," she said quietly. "You know there's so much more to him."
"Yeah, but, I mean...he doesn't see me like that."
"How do you know how he sees you? Supposedly you didn't even realize how you saw him."
Faith's eyebrows furrowed. "Because...I'm not his type, Emily. I've known him for like, twelve years."
"He's changed," she whispered.
"That much?"
"You'll see, mom. You will," she said quietly.
Tears prickled at her eyes as her daughter began to fade a little. "You have to leave already?" she whispered.
She frowned. "Yeah, sorry."
"God, I feel like you just got here."
"I know, me too." She wrapped her arms around her mother, holding on tight. "I love you."
"I love you too, Emily. I love you so much." She swallowed hard, closing her eyes.
"Go see Bosco, mom. Even if you don't want to date him. Go visit with him tonight, okay? Don't back out cause of what I said."
"And bring pizza," she whispered.
She chuckled softly, and nodded her head. "And make him do his exercises. Tell him I said he's never gonna get better if he doesn't do them."
"I will," Faith promised, holding her tightly.
"I'll be watching." She kissed her mother's cheek. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." She swallowed hard.
A few seconds later, Emily was gone.
A tear streaked down her cheek and for a moment she sat motionless on her sofa. "Bye, Emmy. I'll see you next year," she murmured. Then she rose to her feet slowly and headed for the door, following her daughter's advice.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco was still sitting on the sofa. His eyes red and puffy from the crying he'd been doing. The grieving for his brother's death as well as the joyful tears of seeing him again. Now he only wished that next Christmas would hurry up and get there already.
Faith knocked softly on his apartment door, forcing herself to take a deep breath as she looked down at the pizza box she was holding.
He wasn't sure he wanted to see anyone right now, but he knew that Faith was supposed to be coming over, and Mikey had told him that he should spend the evening with her. "Coming," he called out before pushing himself off the sofa and making his way to the door. After unlocking it, he wiped at his eyes before pulling the door open.
Her eyes were sad, a reflection of his own. "Hey, Boz," she whispered.
"Hey," he greeted her softly. "Did uh...did you see...her?"
"Yeah," she said just as softly. "I take it you saw Mikey."
"That obvious," he asked in a whisper, a faint smile on his face.
She returned the faint smile with one of her own. "Kinda."
"You wanna come in?"
She nodded slightly. "I brought pizza."
He bit his lip and looked down at the floor as he stepped aside to allow her in.
Once the door was closed, she drew in a breath. "So how you doin'?"
"I'm okay. Feelin' uh..." He ran a hand through his hair and then gave a half shrugged. "It's the first time I've..."
"Yeah. I remember what that's like," she whispered, setting the pizza down on the kitchen counter.
He ran his finger along the edge of the counter. "I cried," he murmured, his voice barely audible.
"Me too," she whispered, reaching out to touch his arm.
Bosco swallowed hard and was silent for a moment. "I didn't realize just how much I missed him."
"I know, Boz." She hesitated a moment, then slid her arms around him in a hug.
He returned the embrace, resting his head on her shoulder. "The last couple days had been so bad and I just...I didn't know what to do, but now...now I feel better, but it still hurts."
Closing her eyes, she let out a breath as she rubbed his back, understanding exactly what he meant.
He held her a little tighter. "How'd you know to bring food?" He asked softly.
"Emmy told me that...you didn't really order a pizza."
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Don't be. It's okay," she assured him, pulling away to look at him. "What's not okay is you not doin' your exercises."
Bosco closed his eyes and let out a breath.
"I'm not mad, Boz. But you are gonna do them," she informed him.
"Faith, they're..." Swallowing hard he shook his head.
"What?" she whispered.
"They're hard," he whispered back. "I can't do them."
"I'll help you," she promised. "We'll go slow."
"Sometimes it just feels like too much, ya know?"
"I do know." Her voice was soft.
"So you'll really help me? You don't mind?"
Faith smiled softly. "No. I don't mind."
"Thank you," he whispered. "It means a lot."
"You're welcome." She touched his arm lightly. "Come on. Let's eat."
"Yeah." He nodded his head. "I'm starving."
She picked up the pizza as he grabbed a couple sodas out of the fridge and they headed into the living room. "So how's Mikey?"
"He's really good, Faith. He looks...he looks better than he ever did before."
"Being an angel apparently has that effect on people," she murmured.
"At first, when he showed up, I thought I'd taken a few too many painkillers," he told her with a grin as he sat down on the sofa.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, last year when Emily showed up, I thought I'd finally lost it."
"I asked him why he didn't go to see our mother."
"What'd he say?"
He opened his soda and then looked over at her. "That I needed to see him more."
She gazed at him silently for a moment.
"I think he was right," he said softly. "I mean...I stood here and I begged him to forgive me for not helping him sooner, for not saving him."
"And he told you it wasn't your fault," she whispered.
Bosco nodded. "I needed to hear that, and I needed him to know that I loved him."
She drew in a breath, her eyes sad. "It's hard to say goodbye til next Christmas."
"Yeah. A year seems like a long time." He set down his soda and reached for her hand. "So Em...she's doin' okay up there?"
"Yeah, she said it's like...they've got their own little family. She said Mikey's really shy but she's trying to bring him out of his shell."
He smiled. "You'll have to thank her for me next year."
"Maybe...you can thank her yourself," she whispered.
"How's that possible?"
"If we're together on Christmas Eve." Her voice was very soft.
"You'd wanna do something like that?" He asked quietly. "Be together for Christmas Eve?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"No reason." Bosco smiled at her. "I think it'd be really nice."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I like having you over, and even though I don't think you believed me earlier...I was glad that you called to check on me."
"Well, you're my best friend. I care about you," she whispered, lowering her gaze as she thought about what Emily had said.
"And I care about you too," he informed her, his voice soft.
Faith nodded slightly, venturing a glance at him.
"You just...you don't know how much I appreciate you bein' here."
"I'm here...whenever you need me," she told him softly.
"I always need you," he whispered.
The breath caught in her throat.
Bosco gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Hesitating a moment, she leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against his cheek.
A soft smile touched his lips. "What was that for?"
"It's a holiday."
"So you're gonna start kissing me on holidays?" He asked lightly.
"Maybe. If you're good," she teased.
"I'll do my best."
A smile tugged at her lips. "Merry Christmas," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Faith," he whispered back.
"Good job, Em." Mikey's voice was quiet as he watched his brother and Emily's mother.
"I was so afraid she wasn't going to figure it out on her own," she told him.
"She might have...probably way before Mo."
Emily laughed. "Well, I'm all for her knowing. Maybe things will move along a little faster."
"That'd be nice." He smiled at her.
"And you didn't do so bad yourself, Mikey. I think your visit helped big time."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah. He needed to see you so he could try and move forward, and then when you told him he should spend the evening with my mom..." She grinned. "You slid that in there so nice."
"I am kinda suave like that," he joked, grinning back.
"Mikey," she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I'm real sorry...about how you ended up here, but it's nice having you around," she told him softly.
He gave her a small smile. "It's nice havin' a friend up here."
"Give it time and you'll have lots of 'em."
Nodding a little, he glanced back at where Bobby and Alex stood.
Alex peered down at Ty as he picked up the telephone. "You think he's callin' Monroe?"
"I don't know," Bobby answered. "I hope so."
"Or maybe he'll call Sully. I swear, he better call one of 'em or I'm gonna have to figure out a way to get back down there and knock some sense into him."
He smiled at her. "I think you already did that."
She grinned. "So, how was Kim?"
"Good. Really good. She says hello."
Alex shifted her gaze from Ty to Jimmy and Kim. "They seem happy."
"They are. And get this, they're namin' the baby after me," he said proudly.
"Shut up." She smacked his arm.
He chuckled. "They are."
"And Doherty is okay with that? That's like...a miracle," she teased.
"Hey, I think Kim's got the most say in it. But Doherty's not so bad anymore."
"Yeah, deep down he always was a decent guy," she said softly.
"Yeah, once you got past the arrogance, the machoness and the tendency he had to cheat on his significant others," he joked.
"Like I said...-deep- down," she chuckled. For a few moments they were silent as they gazed down at their friends. "Speaking of decent guys..." She pointed toward Carlos Nieto.
"I never woulda guessed it," he said, shaking his head as he watched Carlos sit down across from Doc at the cafeteria table at Bellevue.
"He musta pulled some pretty impressive strings to get allowed to visit." She shook her head slightly, a smile on her face. "Carlos is full of surprises."
"That he is." He smiled, as well.
Alex turned to see Tatiana standing a few feet away, and she walked over to the woman. "How was your visit?"
"It was good," Tatiana told her. "I miss John, but he's good."
She nodded. "Well, hopefully I got through to Ty and things will be even better."
She nodded as well, a small smile on her face. "I think so."
Emily glanced over at Bobby and the other angels. "I can't believe we waited so long for Christmas Eve to get here and now it's over."
"It's not over," he told Emily softly, nodding to where their family and friends were gathered together. "It's just begun."
She turned her attention back down to Earth and smiled softly as she saw her mother and Bosco sitting side by side on the loveseat at Maggie Davis's house, their friends from the police station and firehouse gathered around the room as well.
"Good job everyone," Bobby said softly.
"We did real good," Alex commented with a smile.
Mikey glanced at them and nodded slightly, noticing how much happier his older brother looked as he and Faith talked quietly.
Emily hesitated a moment before sliding her arms around Mikey's waist in a hug. "Who knows, maybe we could be related by marriage soon."
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah. Maybe."
"Merry Christmas, Mikey," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Em," he whispered back, hugging her.
Alex smiled softly as she watched Mikey and Emily together, then she nudged Bobby with her elbow. "Emily's got this angel thing down to a science."
He grinned. "She definitely does. Of course she learned from the best." He winked at her.
"Yeah, I am pretty good," she joked.
Bobby chuckled. "Come on. I think everyone down there's gonna be just fine."
Taylor nodded. "I think you're right," she whispered.
He put his arm around her, kissing her forehead. "Why don't we all go have our own Christmas celebration?"
"Sounds good to me." Emily pulled away from Mikey and smiled at him. "This is the second best part of Christmas up here," she told him. "After we visit everyone we get to sit up here with our new family and have our own Christmas."
He smiled. "Is that how this works?"
"Yup. Come on." She motioned for him to follow.
Mikey drew in a breath, glancing over his shoulder one last time to look at his brother. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night," he whispered.
Authors: NYPDBosco and X_tremeroswellian
Emails: mauriceboscorelli@yahoo.com and faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not ours.
Spoilers: Some of sixth season.
Category: Fluff
Rating: PG
Summary: Sequel to last year's "Calling All Angels". It's Christmas Eve, and time for the angels of the 55 to visit their friends on Earth.
"I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already," Alex murmured.
Bobby nodded. "I know, time really flew."
"Goes quicker...up here," Tatiana said.
"That's okay with me," Emily said softly. "It means I can see my mom sooner."
Tatiana smiled softly. "I'm sure she's excited to see you."
"I think everybody's excited to see us this year," Bobby told them. He then looked over at the newest member of their group who was standing off by himself.
Mikey Boscorelli remained silent, his hands in his jean pockets.
Emily bit her lip and looked at the others before slowly walking over to Mikey. "Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," he said back, feeling uncomfortable.
She glanced over her shoulder then turned back to him as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Did they tell you about what happens tonight?"
"Yeah, but...I don't know if it's such a good idea. I don't think Ma or Mo would be very happy to see me."
The young girl stared at him. "Are you kidding? Of course they'd be happy to see you."
"I don't know, Em."
"Last year, I didn't think my mom woulda wanted see me at all," she said softly. "I didn't die because I was trying to make things better like you were...I was stupid and that's how I got here. But my mom, she was still happy to see me. She was thrilled."
"I'm sure she was. I just...this whole death thing is still new to me."
"I know, but I know that they'd like to see you and get a chance to...well, say goodbye," she whispered.
Mikey drew in a breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're probably right."
Emily offered him a small smile. "Come on, it'll be time to go soon."
"Mo's not gonna believe this," he mumbled, grinning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco looked at the name on caller id, and recognizing it as Faith's cell phone he sighed. He let it ring one more time before answering. "I'm fine, Faith," he told her softly, not bothering to say hello. "I ordered a pizza for dinner and I've done my exercises."
"And what makes you so sure that's why I was calling?"
"Because you've called me every night since I got out of the hospital last week, and every night you ask how I am, if I ate and if I did my exercises."
"Oh." She fell silent.
"But thank you for calling," he said softly.
"Boz...are you sure you're okay there alone?"
"I'm doin' alright, Faith. I've honestly just been sittin' here doing nothing most of the day."
"Well, why don't I come over? Keep you company."
"You don't have to do that. You've already been goin' outta your way to help me..."
She bit her lip. "If you change your mind...call me?"
"Are you okay, Faith?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly.
His eyebrows furrowed, and he was quiet for a moment. Remembering that she herself was alone he started to get concerned. "You know, on second thought I wouldn't mind having some company."
"Now you're just feeling sorry for me." Her voice was light.
"But I bet you're happy to know I still got feelings, right?" He teased.
"Oh, I always knew you did. In a shallow grave in Jersey, remember?" she joked.
"Yeah." Bosco chuckled softly. "If the pizza gets here before you do I'll save you some."
"What makes you think I'm comin' over?" she teased.
"I know you, and I know you're itchin' to come over here and check up on me despite everything," he told her, a smile on his face.
"Maybe." She couldn't help but smile.
"I'll see you in a little while."
"Bye." She hung up the phone and glanced at her tree.
Bosco hit the 'off' button on the phone and then grabbed the phone book that was on the coffee table figuring he'd better call and order a pizza. He hadn't expected her to be coming over when he'd created the lie, so now he better make it the truth. After dialing the number to the pizza place he stared over toward the corner where his Christmas tree usually stood.
There hadn't been any reason to put it up this year.
"Hey, Mo."
Startled by the voice he dropped the phone and his eyes widened.
"I know, it's..." Mikey looked down at himself. "It's weird for me too."
He swallowed hard. "I gotta get my medication switched," he murmured, not believing what he was seeing.
"Mo, it's me...I'm really here," Mikey told him, taking a couple steps toward him.
Bosco stood up and shook his head slightly. "But you...you can't be," he whispered. "I saw..." He swallowed hard. "You can't be."
"It's sort of a long story. See apparently once you're up there." Mikey pointed upwards. "You get to visit someone once a year...on Christmas Eve."
Still a little skeptical he took a couple steps forward on shaky legs.
"Merry Christmas, Mo." Mikey smiled at him.
Tears formed in his eyes as he reached out and touched his brother's arms, then his neck, checking to make sure that the angel version of his brother was in one piece. Satisfied that he was, he pulled him into a fierce hug. "Oh God, Michael," he whispered.
He hugged him back tightly. "I missed you too."
"I'm so sorry, Mikey." He clutched his little brother's shirt in his hands and tears started to roll down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."
"You have no reason to say sorry, Mo. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I did it all wrong. I didn't help you enough. Please forgive me."
"All right, all right. I forgive you. Come on. That's not why I'm here."
Bosco took a deep breath and then managed to pull himself away from Mikey. He wiped at his eyes as he attempted to gather himself.
"Good to see you outta that hospital bed."
"Yeah. Yeah, it's good to be out of that place." He was quiet for a moment, this just seemed so strange. "So you...you've really been watchin'? You guys do that?"
"Of course. That's what angels do...unless you're naked or...you know." Mikey made a face. "None of us really wanna see that."
"Michael!"
"Not that you've been doin' much of either."
"Yeah." He shook his head. "I'm thinkin' it's gonna be a long time until I'm...well, you know what I mean."
"Yeah, Mo. I know."
He took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. "Mikey?" He whispered.
"Yeah?"
"When I was uh...when I was in surgery, I thought I...saw you," he said softly. "Did I? Was I dead?"
"For a few seconds. Yeah." He nodded.
Bosco let out a breath and nodded his head. He shifted his gaze back to Mikey's face. "How long can you stay?"
"Not long," he said quietly. "Just a few minutes."
"What about ma? You said you could visit one person."
"You needed to see me more."
"But she misses you, too. We both miss you so bad," he whispered as he gazed at his brother.
"I know. But seein' as this is my first Christmas...I don't know how well bendin' the rules would go over."
"Is it...okay for me to tell her about this?" He questioned softly as he slowly sat back down on the sofa.
"Yeah, sure. And be sure and tell her that...I love her."
"I will, Michael." Bosco nodded his head. "I promise."
Mikey's image began to fade a little and he looked down at himself. "I guess my time's runnin' out."
"No. Please." He looked upward. "Don't make him go," he whispered.
"Mo...I gotta go," he whispered. "But I'll be back next year."
He quickly stood back up and wrapped his arms around his fading brother. "I love you," he told him softly. "I always did."
"I know. I love you, too, Maurice."
"Thank you."
"Merry Christmas...oh, and Mo?"
"Yeah?"
"Faith's gettin' a visit tonight too...but you two should spend the evening together."
"From Emily?"
Michael nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay, well...Faith's supposed to be on her way over so..." He swallowed hard, a tear shining in his eye. "I'm glad you came."
He smiled. "Take care, Maurice. I'll be lookin' out after you."
"I need all the help I can get," he whispered, a soft smile on his face.
He grinned. "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas," he murmured as his brother vanished from the room. For a moment Bosco just stood there, still shocked about what had happened. Letting out a breath he slowly looked around the room and realizing he was alone once again he sat down on the sofa and just stared in the direction of where his brother had been as a tear made it's way down his cheek.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kim sat curled up on the sofa in her warm flannel robe, her gaze locked on the clock above the fireplace. Five minutes til Midnight. A smile touched her lips as her view was blocked by a familiar tall figure. "I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show."
"Oh come on, you know I'm reliable," Bobby said with a grin. "We just got some newbies and I needed to make sure they knew what was happening."
"Of course. Always takin' care of everyone else." She smiled and stood up. "Hey, Bobby."
"Hey, Kim," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her.
She hugged him tightly. "I've missed you."
"Not that much I see," he said with a smile as he pulled away, but only far enough so he could place a hand on her stomach.
A faint chuckle escaped her. "More than you know."
He kissed her cheek. "I've missed you, too. But you seem to be doin' good...you and Jimmy." He rubbed his hand back and forth over her stomach.
"Yeah. Yeah, we are. And Joey...God, Bobby, he's gettin' so big. Of course you already knew that."
He nodded his head. "Yeah, I know, but it's still nice havin' you tell me."
She smiled. "Thanks for....looking out for us," she whispered.
"It's no problem at all. Come on, let's get you off your feet." He led her over to the sofa.
Kim sat down, her legs curled beneath her. "How are you?"
"I'm an angel, Kim. I'm perfect," he teased.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "You always did think that."
He put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm doing good. I've really adjusted to just kinda being on the outside looking in. It's just so sad though cause the only other way I get to see anyone, other than on Christmas Eve, is if they die," he said softly.
Sighing softly, she leaned against him. "And Alex?"
"She's doin' great. I won't lie...it's nice to have a friend up there."
"I'm sure it is," she murmured.
"So you're happy? Truly happy being with Jimmy again?"
Kim smiled. "Yeah. It's better this time though...he's changed a lot. So have I."
He nodded his head.
"Kimmy, who are you..." Jimmy froze, his eyes wide as he walked into the room.
She quickly turned to face him. "Hey, Jimmy."
“What's goin' on?" He questioned as he stared at Bobby. "I gotta get more sleep."
"You're not dreaming, Jimmy," she said softly. "Bobby's really here. He gets to visit on Christmas Eve."
Jimmy blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Well I guess...if you're seein' him too then...he must be here," he said softly.
She smiled at him. "He's been lookin' after us."
"Caffey's been lookin' after us and he still let us get back together? Amazing," he joked.
"Hey." Bobby pointed at the other man. "Just remember, I can have a bolt of lightning ordered to strike you like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Kim chuckled. "Stop."
The two men chuckled and Jimmy moved over to sit on the coffee table. He stared at Bobby for a second then reached out to shake his hand. "It's good to see you, Bobby," he told him sincerely.
"You too, Doherty."
She rested a hand on her stomach. "So what's the word, Bobby? Are we havin' another boy or are we havin' a girl this time?"
"Oh I'm not about to ruin the surprise," he told her with a smile, placing his hand next to hers, his smile widening when he felt the baby move.
Her eyes were full of warmth. "How long can you stay?"
He sighed. "Not real long," he told her softly. "But rumor has it that we're gonna get to start stayin' longer next year."
"Yeah?" Her voice was hopeful.
"Yeah." Bobby nodded his head. "And who knows, maybe we'll get to pick another day to come visit. They realize up there that even though we don't have any worries of our own, that we worry about our friends and family down here, so who knows what could happen."
"Well, we'd love that."
"So, I've been listening in whenever I get a chance, but I haven't heard you guys talkin' about names for the baby," Bobby commented.
Jimmy looked at Kim and smiled then shifted his gaze to Bobby. "Oh well, the name...that was easy to come up with. I only put up a little fight on it."
"We're gonna name him...or her...Bobby," she whispered.
His eyes widened. "Get out."
"Seriously."
He chuckled softly. "You're gonna name the baby Bobby, after me?"
"Yeah, cause I sure as hell wasn't namin' my kid Roberto or Roberta," Jimmy said lightly. "But Bobby I can handle."
"And who better to name our baby after than our very own guardian angel?"
"Oh you guys, this is..." He wrapped his arms around Kim.
She hugged him back, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Thank you," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back.
"Is this baby gonna be healthy, Bobby?" she whispered back.
"Yeah, Kim. Of course," he told her softly. "I'm not gonna let anything happen."
She let out a breath. "Sorry...I've just been paranoid."
"It's okay." He kissed her temple. "A lot's happened this year, it makes sense to be a little paranoid."
"I miss you."
"I miss you, too," he murmured. "But I'm in no hurry for you to join me up there."
"Me either. No offense." She touched his cheek.
"None taken." He smiled at her, then closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to commit her touch to memory. "I gotta get goin'," he whispered.
Kim bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder. "I wish you could stay longer."
"Yeah, Bobby. See what you can do about gettin' the Big Guy to extend visiting hours," Jimmy said with a smile.
"You sure you'd want me hangin' around that much?" He asked Doherty with a grin.
"We definitely would. And this time next year..." She rested a hand on her stomach once more. "We'll make sure Joey and the little one get to see you too."
"I would love that." Leaning down Bobby kissed her stomach through the material of her shirt. "See ya, Bobby," he whispered to the baby.
Tears prickled at her eyelids. "Bye, Bobby," she whispered.
"Love you, Kim. Give Joey a hug for me," he told her quietly. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." She quickly hugged him one last time, kissing his cheek.
As he started to vanish he looked at Jimmy. "You take good care of them," he told the other man.
Jimmy nodded his head. "I will."
She bit her lip as she watched him disappear.
"Kim...he was really..."
"Yeah," she whispered, slowly turning to look at him. "He came last year too."
"Wow, that's..." He shook his head slightly, unsure of what to say.
"A miracle."
He moved over to sit where Bobby had just been and he kissed her softly. "I'm gonna take care of you and Joey and our little Bobby. I promise you."
"I know you will," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his. "Merry Christmas, Jimmy."
"Merry Christmas, Kimmy."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ty sat slumped on his couch, bored expression on his face as he aimlessly flipped through the channels. Carlos had plans for the night and was gone a lot longer than he'd expected, not that having his roommate there would have made a difference though. Christmas Eve or not, he just wasn't into the holiday spirit this year.
"Now here's somethin' I never expected. Ty Davis sitting at home by himself on Christmas Eve."
Startled he quickly turned toward the voice. "How the hell did you---," he started firmly, then his eyes widened when he saw who was there. "Get in here," he finished in a whisper.
Alex Taylor smirked. "The good thing about bein' dead is you can walk right through doorways and walls. No knocking or anything."
He shook his head. "You aren't...you aren't really here." Davis shook his head and looked around nervously. "This is just...just a really, really bad practical joke."
"Come on, Ty. You haven't been drinking and you're not asleep."
"But this, this doesn't make any sense." He told her, holding up his hands. He then pointed at her. "You're dead," he said softly. "And I'm not."
"It's also Christmas Eve. A lot of your friends are gettin' visitors tonight. Sully, Yokas, Bosco..."
"Sully?"
"Yeah...his wife...Tatiana."
"You're tellin' me that Tatiana is visiting Sully tonight?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes."
"Don't roll your eyes. I'm obviously new to this and just cause it makes sense to you..."
"I didn't come here for chit chat, Davis," she informed him.
"Then why?" He asked softly.
Alex smiled very faintly. "Dual purpose actually." She gazed at him. "First of all...stop holding onto all that guilt you feel."
He shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She gave him a look. "About -us.-"
Rubbing a hand over his head he looked away.
"Let it go, Ty."
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to hurt you."
"I know that. But to be honest...I got over you." She smiled.
Turning to look at her his eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
She chuckled. "Oh, come on. It wasn't true love and we both know it. We needed each other for awhile and..." She shrugged.
He nodded his head, and held his hand out to her.
Alex took his hand and sat down beside him. "Now. About Sasha Monroe."
"Don't. I don't wanna talk about that bitch."
"Ty." Her voice was stern. "She messed up. She doesn't deserve the hatred."
"What?" He looked at her. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what she's done? How she's lied to us?"
Alex gave him a look. "I know more about it than you do," she informed him.
"Oh, yeah? Then why would she do that, huh? Why would she act like she was our friend, and like she really cared about me when all she was really doing was digging for information on us?"
"That's your perception of what she did. It's not fact." She gazed at him evenly. "I'll be straight with you. I understand why you're hurt, why you're angry. If I didn't know the things I do, I'd feel the same way. But Monroe...she has a good heart. And she -does- care about you. But she also truly believes that she's doing the right thing. And Ty? She never tried to dig up information on any of you. At least not til a few weeks ago when she was forced to go after Cruz."
Letting out a breath he rested his head on the back of the sofa. "It's hard, Al. Knowin' that she was IAB, that she was a detective all this time. I mean...I trusted her."
"I know." Her voice was soft.
He squeezed her hand and turned his head to gaze at her. "You're really here, aren't you?"
"I really am."
A smile touched his lips. "I've missed you."
She smirked. "Of course you have."
"Even though you're a pain in the ass," he teased.
Alex chuckled. "Takes one to know one."
"So what's the deal? You sit up there and watch all of us?"
"Most of the time, yeah. When I'm not playing Blackjack or Poker with Bobby."
Davis chuckled. "They allow gambling up there?"
"Of course. It is heaven." She grinned.
He smiled. "There's lots of good people up there."
"Yes, there are." She began to fade a little, and sighed. "Time's running out."
"You're leavin' already?"
"Don't have a choice. We have a time limit." She leaned over, kissed his cheek, then stood up. "Oh, and Ty?"
"Yeah?" He whispered.
"Your dad says hello...and thank you."
Ty quickly stood up. "My dad?"
Alex gazed at him, nodding. "And he says to lighten up on Sully. He did what your dad wanted him to."
He nodded his head slowly. "Will you tell him that I love him. That I miss him."
"You bet." She offered him a soft, warm smile. "Merry Christmas, Ty."
Seeing that she was starting to fade faster, Davis quickly wrapped his arms around her. "Merry Christmas, Alex. Thank you."
She hugged him back tightly. "Take care. I'll be watchin' over you." Without another word, she vanished.
Though it was one of the strangest moments of his life, Ty couldn't help but smile.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Faith was already dressed and ready to go to Bosco's, but she hadn't convinced herself to get off her sofa yet. Her eyes were fixed on the clock and she was hoping against everything that somehow Emily would show up and that last year's visit hadn't been all in her head.
Emily made her way down the hall and smiled at her mother. "Sorry I didn't get here sooner, I was watchin' to make sure Mikey did okay."
She looked up quickly, a smile touching her lips. "Mikey? Bosco's brother?"
"Yeah." Emily nodded her head as she made her way over and sat down beside her mom. "He wasn't real sure Bosco would want to see him."
"Of course he would." She quickly hugged her daughter, closing her eyes.
"Merry Christmas, mom," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around her.
"Merry Christmas, Emmy," she whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"I've been waitin' a long time for this," she told her softly.
"Me too. God, I've missed you so much."
"I missed you, too." She pulled back a little. "I'm so glad you're okay...and that Bosco's gettin' better."
Faith swallowed hard, gazing at her intently. "Are they takin' care of you up there?" she whispered.
"Of course they are. Bobby and Alex and Tatiana. Oh, and Alex's dad too. We're like our own little family. Now I'm just tryin' to get Mikey to come outta his shell a little. He seems nervous."
"Yeah, he's..." She let out a breath. "He always seemed kinda nervous here, too."
"Guess that happens when your dad is who he is," she said softly. "But enough about that. You look great."
She smiled. "Thank you. I guess there's no need to tell you I got promoted."
Emily smiled. "I watched the ceremony."
"You did?" she whispered.
"Of course I did. I'm proud of you. You totally deserve it."
"Thank you." She hugged her again. "I wondered if you were up there...watchin'."
"I'm always watchin', well, at least until you start dating," she joked.
She chuckled softly.
"So...when -are- you gonna start dating?"
Faith shrugged slightly. "Haven't met anyone."
"Haven't tried is more like it."
"Okay, you got me." She leaned back against the sofa.
"The right guy is out there. He's probably closer than you think," she told her mother softly as she rested her head on her shoulder.
"You think so?" She wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders.
"I know so. I've got lots of time to look into these things," she said with a smile.
"So are you thinking of someone specific?"
"If you haven't figured it out by next Christmas Eve I'll tell you exactly who I'm thinking of."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "So you are thinking of someone specific."
Emily chuckled. "That would be a yes, and I think you know who I'm thinking of. You just won't admit it."
"Look, Em, your dad and I aren't gonna get back together, so--"
"I'm not talkin' about dad."
"Then who?" She shook her head.
"Oh come on, you think I'm gonna make this easy on you," she said lightly.
"Well that would be nice. It is Christmas."
"You sure you don't want the fun of figuring it out on your own?"
"I have enough detective work to do at work, Em. Help me out here. Who are you thinking of?" she asked curiously.
She grinned. "Well, let's just say you should probably stop and get some pizza on your way cause he never actually ordered one."
Faith's mouth dropped open. "What?"
"And he lied about doin' his exercises too. He's been sittin' around like a bump on a log the last couple days."
"Wait a minute, back up, Emily. Are you telling me you think I should hook up with -Bosco-?"
"The one and only."
She stared at her for a moment in silence. "Is that some kind of practical joke? Did Bobby or Taylor tell you to tell me that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh come on mom. It is -so- obvious. I mean...the way he sat outside your door last Christmas cause you wouldn't answer the phone and he was worried. And the way you've been by his side since the day he was shot. The way you call him every night even if you've seen him during the day. You've got it so bad you don't even know it."
"I do not!" Her cheeks grew warm.
"Sure you don't," she chuckled. "Keep tellin' yourself that."
"Emily Amanda." She shook her head.
"You know you love him, mom," she whispered.
"Yeah, but...not like that," she denied, shaking her head again.
"Fine. Don't believe me."
"Emily, it's just...Bosco?"
She nodded her head. "You're the only one who really gets to see the true Bosco...Maurice," she said quietly. "You know there's so much more to him."
"Yeah, but, I mean...he doesn't see me like that."
"How do you know how he sees you? Supposedly you didn't even realize how you saw him."
Faith's eyebrows furrowed. "Because...I'm not his type, Emily. I've known him for like, twelve years."
"He's changed," she whispered.
"That much?"
"You'll see, mom. You will," she said quietly.
Tears prickled at her eyes as her daughter began to fade a little. "You have to leave already?" she whispered.
She frowned. "Yeah, sorry."
"God, I feel like you just got here."
"I know, me too." She wrapped her arms around her mother, holding on tight. "I love you."
"I love you too, Emily. I love you so much." She swallowed hard, closing her eyes.
"Go see Bosco, mom. Even if you don't want to date him. Go visit with him tonight, okay? Don't back out cause of what I said."
"And bring pizza," she whispered.
She chuckled softly, and nodded her head. "And make him do his exercises. Tell him I said he's never gonna get better if he doesn't do them."
"I will," Faith promised, holding her tightly.
"I'll be watching." She kissed her mother's cheek. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." She swallowed hard.
A few seconds later, Emily was gone.
A tear streaked down her cheek and for a moment she sat motionless on her sofa. "Bye, Emmy. I'll see you next year," she murmured. Then she rose to her feet slowly and headed for the door, following her daughter's advice.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bosco was still sitting on the sofa. His eyes red and puffy from the crying he'd been doing. The grieving for his brother's death as well as the joyful tears of seeing him again. Now he only wished that next Christmas would hurry up and get there already.
Faith knocked softly on his apartment door, forcing herself to take a deep breath as she looked down at the pizza box she was holding.
He wasn't sure he wanted to see anyone right now, but he knew that Faith was supposed to be coming over, and Mikey had told him that he should spend the evening with her. "Coming," he called out before pushing himself off the sofa and making his way to the door. After unlocking it, he wiped at his eyes before pulling the door open.
Her eyes were sad, a reflection of his own. "Hey, Boz," she whispered.
"Hey," he greeted her softly. "Did uh...did you see...her?"
"Yeah," she said just as softly. "I take it you saw Mikey."
"That obvious," he asked in a whisper, a faint smile on his face.
She returned the faint smile with one of her own. "Kinda."
"You wanna come in?"
She nodded slightly. "I brought pizza."
He bit his lip and looked down at the floor as he stepped aside to allow her in.
Once the door was closed, she drew in a breath. "So how you doin'?"
"I'm okay. Feelin' uh..." He ran a hand through his hair and then gave a half shrugged. "It's the first time I've..."
"Yeah. I remember what that's like," she whispered, setting the pizza down on the kitchen counter.
He ran his finger along the edge of the counter. "I cried," he murmured, his voice barely audible.
"Me too," she whispered, reaching out to touch his arm.
Bosco swallowed hard and was silent for a moment. "I didn't realize just how much I missed him."
"I know, Boz." She hesitated a moment, then slid her arms around him in a hug.
He returned the embrace, resting his head on her shoulder. "The last couple days had been so bad and I just...I didn't know what to do, but now...now I feel better, but it still hurts."
Closing her eyes, she let out a breath as she rubbed his back, understanding exactly what he meant.
He held her a little tighter. "How'd you know to bring food?" He asked softly.
"Emmy told me that...you didn't really order a pizza."
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Don't be. It's okay," she assured him, pulling away to look at him. "What's not okay is you not doin' your exercises."
Bosco closed his eyes and let out a breath.
"I'm not mad, Boz. But you are gonna do them," she informed him.
"Faith, they're..." Swallowing hard he shook his head.
"What?" she whispered.
"They're hard," he whispered back. "I can't do them."
"I'll help you," she promised. "We'll go slow."
"Sometimes it just feels like too much, ya know?"
"I do know." Her voice was soft.
"So you'll really help me? You don't mind?"
Faith smiled softly. "No. I don't mind."
"Thank you," he whispered. "It means a lot."
"You're welcome." She touched his arm lightly. "Come on. Let's eat."
"Yeah." He nodded his head. "I'm starving."
She picked up the pizza as he grabbed a couple sodas out of the fridge and they headed into the living room. "So how's Mikey?"
"He's really good, Faith. He looks...he looks better than he ever did before."
"Being an angel apparently has that effect on people," she murmured.
"At first, when he showed up, I thought I'd taken a few too many painkillers," he told her with a grin as he sat down on the sofa.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, last year when Emily showed up, I thought I'd finally lost it."
"I asked him why he didn't go to see our mother."
"What'd he say?"
He opened his soda and then looked over at her. "That I needed to see him more."
She gazed at him silently for a moment.
"I think he was right," he said softly. "I mean...I stood here and I begged him to forgive me for not helping him sooner, for not saving him."
"And he told you it wasn't your fault," she whispered.
Bosco nodded. "I needed to hear that, and I needed him to know that I loved him."
She drew in a breath, her eyes sad. "It's hard to say goodbye til next Christmas."
"Yeah. A year seems like a long time." He set down his soda and reached for her hand. "So Em...she's doin' okay up there?"
"Yeah, she said it's like...they've got their own little family. She said Mikey's really shy but she's trying to bring him out of his shell."
He smiled. "You'll have to thank her for me next year."
"Maybe...you can thank her yourself," she whispered.
"How's that possible?"
"If we're together on Christmas Eve." Her voice was very soft.
"You'd wanna do something like that?" He asked quietly. "Be together for Christmas Eve?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"No reason." Bosco smiled at her. "I think it'd be really nice."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I like having you over, and even though I don't think you believed me earlier...I was glad that you called to check on me."
"Well, you're my best friend. I care about you," she whispered, lowering her gaze as she thought about what Emily had said.
"And I care about you too," he informed her, his voice soft.
Faith nodded slightly, venturing a glance at him.
"You just...you don't know how much I appreciate you bein' here."
"I'm here...whenever you need me," she told him softly.
"I always need you," he whispered.
The breath caught in her throat.
Bosco gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Hesitating a moment, she leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against his cheek.
A soft smile touched his lips. "What was that for?"
"It's a holiday."
"So you're gonna start kissing me on holidays?" He asked lightly.
"Maybe. If you're good," she teased.
"I'll do my best."
A smile tugged at her lips. "Merry Christmas," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Faith," he whispered back.
"Good job, Em." Mikey's voice was quiet as he watched his brother and Emily's mother.
"I was so afraid she wasn't going to figure it out on her own," she told him.
"She might have...probably way before Mo."
Emily laughed. "Well, I'm all for her knowing. Maybe things will move along a little faster."
"That'd be nice." He smiled at her.
"And you didn't do so bad yourself, Mikey. I think your visit helped big time."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah. He needed to see you so he could try and move forward, and then when you told him he should spend the evening with my mom..." She grinned. "You slid that in there so nice."
"I am kinda suave like that," he joked, grinning back.
"Mikey," she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I'm real sorry...about how you ended up here, but it's nice having you around," she told him softly.
He gave her a small smile. "It's nice havin' a friend up here."
"Give it time and you'll have lots of 'em."
Nodding a little, he glanced back at where Bobby and Alex stood.
Alex peered down at Ty as he picked up the telephone. "You think he's callin' Monroe?"
"I don't know," Bobby answered. "I hope so."
"Or maybe he'll call Sully. I swear, he better call one of 'em or I'm gonna have to figure out a way to get back down there and knock some sense into him."
He smiled at her. "I think you already did that."
She grinned. "So, how was Kim?"
"Good. Really good. She says hello."
Alex shifted her gaze from Ty to Jimmy and Kim. "They seem happy."
"They are. And get this, they're namin' the baby after me," he said proudly.
"Shut up." She smacked his arm.
He chuckled. "They are."
"And Doherty is okay with that? That's like...a miracle," she teased.
"Hey, I think Kim's got the most say in it. But Doherty's not so bad anymore."
"Yeah, deep down he always was a decent guy," she said softly.
"Yeah, once you got past the arrogance, the machoness and the tendency he had to cheat on his significant others," he joked.
"Like I said...-deep- down," she chuckled. For a few moments they were silent as they gazed down at their friends. "Speaking of decent guys..." She pointed toward Carlos Nieto.
"I never woulda guessed it," he said, shaking his head as he watched Carlos sit down across from Doc at the cafeteria table at Bellevue.
"He musta pulled some pretty impressive strings to get allowed to visit." She shook her head slightly, a smile on her face. "Carlos is full of surprises."
"That he is." He smiled, as well.
Alex turned to see Tatiana standing a few feet away, and she walked over to the woman. "How was your visit?"
"It was good," Tatiana told her. "I miss John, but he's good."
She nodded. "Well, hopefully I got through to Ty and things will be even better."
She nodded as well, a small smile on her face. "I think so."
Emily glanced over at Bobby and the other angels. "I can't believe we waited so long for Christmas Eve to get here and now it's over."
"It's not over," he told Emily softly, nodding to where their family and friends were gathered together. "It's just begun."
She turned her attention back down to Earth and smiled softly as she saw her mother and Bosco sitting side by side on the loveseat at Maggie Davis's house, their friends from the police station and firehouse gathered around the room as well.
"Good job everyone," Bobby said softly.
"We did real good," Alex commented with a smile.
Mikey glanced at them and nodded slightly, noticing how much happier his older brother looked as he and Faith talked quietly.
Emily hesitated a moment before sliding her arms around Mikey's waist in a hug. "Who knows, maybe we could be related by marriage soon."
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah. Maybe."
"Merry Christmas, Mikey," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Em," he whispered back, hugging her.
Alex smiled softly as she watched Mikey and Emily together, then she nudged Bobby with her elbow. "Emily's got this angel thing down to a science."
He grinned. "She definitely does. Of course she learned from the best." He winked at her.
"Yeah, I am pretty good," she joked.
Bobby chuckled. "Come on. I think everyone down there's gonna be just fine."
Taylor nodded. "I think you're right," she whispered.
He put his arm around her, kissing her forehead. "Why don't we all go have our own Christmas celebration?"
"Sounds good to me." Emily pulled away from Mikey and smiled at him. "This is the second best part of Christmas up here," she told him. "After we visit everyone we get to sit up here with our new family and have our own Christmas."
He smiled. "Is that how this works?"
"Yup. Come on." She motioned for him to follow.
Mikey drew in a breath, glancing over his shoulder one last time to look at his brother. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night," he whispered.