Broken (errr Drama, Rating ummm T I guess lol) – By Sany Posted 18/10/2007 12:06:41 AM

CheeseBK


Posted 05/11/2007 05:23:43 AM


i love this fanfic and longing to find out more!!!

Posted 09/11/2007 09:08:28 PM


Is it just me or has the next chapter dissappeared???????
oh yeah, just remembered IT HASEN'T BEEN WRITTEN YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted 10/11/2007 00:17:08 AM

Okay so finally I have a few mins to post this. Thanks again to Bella for going over it for me. Thanks for the comments guys love reading them. Other then that I really have nothing to add.

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Chapter 8 Teddy Bears and Food

After Booth had left Cam and the guys they set into a flurry of motions to start processing the new evidence. Cam had delegated the guys to perform certain test and any other tests she may have forgotten in her haste. Now she was headed to her office to look over the case files.

Once she was seated at her desk she began going over each case Booth had given her. It never failed to amaze her at how someone could forcibly take another’s life, no matter how many times she saw it. She was reading what had been done to the three women and it sickened her. The more she read the more she realized that these same disgusting actions could have been formed on Dr. Brennan. *What I don’t get, is if this was the same guy why he didn’t do to her what he had done to the others. The others he killed out right but with Dr. Brennan he simply left her on the side of the road.* Shaking her head free of the thoughts she was having Cam focused her attention back on the case files.

As she shuffled through the pictures something about the women appeared to be familiar to her. She couldn’t place it just yet but she knew it would come to her eventually. She started going over the notes that the pathologist’s reports were already placed with the files. Each report was pretty much a carbon copy of each other. Bruising and abrasions on the wrists and ankles suggested that they had been bound for some time before they were killed. The pathologist also noted tearing and bruising consistent with violent rape. Cam stopped reading the reports for a moment squeezing the bridge of her nose. It still disturbed her greatly whenever she read about women being raped in pathologist reports. It just wasn’t right for a woman’s life, anyone’s life to end that way. She turned her attention away from her inner thoughts and back to the reports.

Each woman had a singular slash going across the throat from right to left, suggesting that the killer was left handed. Tired of reading the same thing over and over and not getting anywhere with trying to remember what was familiar with the pictures Cam got up to go see what the guys were up to. Swiping her security card she ascended the stairs.

“What have you got so far?”

“Not much” Hodgins replied. “There wasn’t a whole lot of evidence for us to use.”

“I was afraid of that” Cam sighed.

“But I have samples being tested as we speak with what we were given. Luckily someone had the sense to preserve some of the original evidence samples so they might lead us somewhere once they are processed” Hodgins told her.

“Best news I’ve heard all day.” She turned to Zach, “What about you Zach do you have anything?”

Looking up from the x-rays he had been studying Zach answered his supervisor. “Well judging by the damage done to the bones on the wrists and ankles of each victim I would have to say that they were all bound between four to seven days. Although that still doesn’t explain why there were still traces of pepper spray on them it should have worn off by then.”

“He probably didn’t want them seeing who he was so he continued to spray them even after he had them tied up” Hodgins said. Cam and Zach gave him an unreadable expression. “Think about it. If you get sprayed with that stuff it’s near impossible to keep your eyes open. And if you do manage to keep your eyes open they are that watery that you wouldn’t be able to see anything clearly.”

“That’s a logical assumption” Zach said. After thinking about what Hodgins had said he thought back to Dr. Brennan getting sprayed it and what she must have felt.

“Okay, now that that’s cleared up what else do you have Zach?” Cam asked bringing him out of his disturbing thoughts.

“The weapon that was used on the throats of the three women appears to be the same. I just have to figure out what type of knife was used.”

“Perfect. At least we’re getting somewhere now. What about the other evidence?” she paused before continuing with what she had to say. “Has there been any more information collected from Dr. Brennan’s things?”

“I think I may have found something that might link Brennan with the car she was in before she was…” Hodgins stumbled over the words he was trying to say. “She was dumped” there really was no other way to say it. But he didn’t like thinking about his friend being tossed away like garbage on the side of the road.

Understanding what he was feeling Cam gave Hodgins a moment to clear his mind before asking “What did you find?”

Snapping back to reality he said “In one of the small folds of her clothes I found some bluish lint that could have come from the back seat or trunk of a car. I won’t know more until the test are done. Then I may be able to get you the type of car it was that was used to transport her. There was also a hair which I am waiting to have identified.”

“Great. Hopefully this will lead us somewhere.” Both men nodded their agreement to her. “Well keep doing what you’re doing. Let me know if you find anything else. I’m going to go back to the reports until the recordings I’ve requested arrive. I’ll be in my office if you need me for anything.” With that said she walked off the platform and back towards her office.

Booth walked down the familiar halls of D.C. General. It seemed like he spent at the least half of his time in the hospital. He couldn’t remember the last time he actually slept in his apartment. Since the first night he got that horrible call he had spent every night by Brennan’s side. He had even taken to keeping an extra set of clothes in his SUV.

Coming closer to her door Booth shifted the items he was carrying so he would be able to open the door. Turning the handle he walked in and announced “I come bearing gifts.” He was kidding. In one arm he carried the laptop and x-rays that Cam wanted him to bring to her along with the food he promised. The other arm was holding a two foot tall teddy bear.

Hearing his voice both Angela and Brennan turned to see what he was talking about. When they saw the teddy bear he carried they gasped. It was adorable. The bear’s fur was the same chocolate brown as Booth’s eyes and had beige muzzle and pads. He also wore a tie dyed tie.

Angela’s face lit up into a grin when she had seen the bear knowing the reason Booth had got it for Brennan. He may say that it was a way of saying that he hoped she got better soon but Angela knew it was his way to show Brennan his feelings for her.

After her initial shock wore off Brennan said a little disbelievingly “You brought me a teddy bear.”

Booth sighed. *Leave it to Bones to state the obvious.* “Yes Bones. I thought that it would cheer you up. I know you hate being here so I figured I’d get you something to make the stay more bearable. I would have bought you flowers but you already have the mother load of those, so I went for cute, soft and cuddly instead.” She just stared at him when he said cute, soft and cuddly.

“How did you know that I even liked teddy bears? Angela doesn’t even know that.” Now it was Booth and Angela’s turn to be shocked. It appeared that the drugs she was being forced to take were helping her to reveal some of her secrets.

“I do now” the artist said smirking. *Who would ever guess that world renowned forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan would love stuffed animals* thought both Booth and Angela.

Smiling Booth walked over to the bed and handed Brennan the teddy bear. After inspecting the toy Brennan smiled up at Booth saying “He’s very cute Booth. Thank you.” The smile that graced her lips made his heart stop.

Always the romantic Angela sensed the moment that was happening between the two and decided that it was time for her to leave. She had almost made it to the door when Booth’s voice stopped her.

Booth had been so concerned with his partner that he had almost forgotten the second reason he had come to the hospital. Remembering now he said “Ange, I almost forgot Hodgins said he has something important to talk to you about.” Not wanting to let Brennan know he was talking about her case Booth was trying to be as vague as possible. “He said he wanted you to call him as soon as you can.”

Thank god Angela was quick. She got what Booth was trying to say within seconds. Catching on she responded in the same vague way so that she wouldn’t tip off Brennan. “Thanks Booth. I think I will run by the lab I left a few sketch pads and pencils there that I need. Since I’m on vacation I could use the stuff to work of a few things I’m doing.” She glanced at Brennan to see if she had caught on or not. Luckily she was still wrapped up in the bear that Booth had given her. She left knowing that she was actually going to the lab to work on some aspect of her friend’s case. This would be the first time she had set foot in the place since Brennan’s attack.

After Angela left, Temperance could once again feel Booth’s eyes on her. Looking up from her bear she saw a peculiar look hiding in the darkness of his eyes that she couldn’t quite place. She knew she had seen that same look before she just couldn’t remember when it was that she had seen it. She shifted her gaze to the door where Angela had just left.

“Where did Angela go?” she asked, curious at the sudden disappearance of her friend.

Booth froze. *What can I tell her that she will believe without questioning?* After a moment of thought he said “Oh she said that she was going to go get some her sketching stuff from her apartment, have a shower and get something to eat before she comes back.” *God I hope she buys this.*

“Oh.” After what seemed like and eternity to Booth she asked “So what else did you bring me?” She was eyeing the food cartons he had brought with interest.

Booth let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He was sure that she would question what he had just said. Booth had expected her to ask about her case but when she didn’t he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He didn’t want to have to tell her that they may have three other cases connected to hers and that those women were dead. He wasn’t sure if she was ready for that, but he also knew that if she had asked him he wouldn’t be able to keep anything away from her.

He walked over to the table where he had laid the food down. Turning to face her he gave Brennan a mischievous smile. “I’m not sure what I have here actually. I haven’t looked. Sid said he was giving you something special. Oh he also said get well soon.”

“Tell him thanks for me Booth. Both the food and what he said.” She said as she waited for him to open the carton and bring it to her. Once the food was placed in front of her it didn’t take her long to take a bite. “Thank god, real food.”

Booth couldn’t help but laugh at her statement or the small sound that escaped her when she had tasted the food. “Hospital food was that bad huh Bones?”

Stopping the fork an inch from her mouth Brennan said “You weren’t kidding about the taste, it was like cardboard. Actually no it wasn’t, I’m sure cardboard would probably have tasted better.” The fork finished its trek to her mouth.

Booth smiled and shook his head at his partner. He sat down in the chair next to her and began eating the meal Sid had made for him.

jerseybones

Posted 10/11/2007 01:47:35 PM


This story is hook-worthy, I know that for a fact cause I completely am. Where did you get this idea? And the development of the plot is amazing, very well timed and thought out. Very impressive. Thank you for sharing this.

CheeseBK

Posted 10/11/2007 02:04:34 PM


I so love this...... pps

Posted 22/11/2007 12:04:04 AM

Thanks for the comments guys. Glad to see you are enjoying it. Loony once again thanks for going over this for me chicky. Have I mentioned how much I suck at titles?

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Chapter 9 Subconscious Thoughts and Silhouettes

Angela stood at the lab entrance doors. She knew she was needed inside but she just couldn’t bring herself to walk through those doors. Something inside her was terrified to be a part of Brennan’s case. She wanted to help catch the guy that had almost killed her best friend, but once she walked in that door she would have to become an active participant in the investigation. She wasn’t sure if she could handle seeing the ‘evidence’ that was related to the case knowing that it had come from Brennan.

She stared at the doors a little longer debating when would be the right time to walk in. A hand touching her shoulder caused her to jump nearly a foot. She was about to scream when she recognized who it was that had gently touched her.

“God Jack, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” she asked her heart still racing from her freight.

A pair of sky blue eyes looked at her. “Sorry” he murmured. “You’re nervous about going in and seeing what we have, aren’t you?”

“Am I that transparent?” she asked him seeking comfort and understanding in his eyes.

“Of course not.” He assured her. “I just know you really well.”

She smiled. They both knew it was written all over her face that she was nervous and didn’t want to go in there. Angela was the type of person that showed everything she was feeling. May be if she got him to tell her what to expect it wouldn’t be so bad.

“How bad is it Jack?” she asked.

He gave her a sympathetic look. He knew that this whole situation was causing her immense pain, but she was the only one that could help them with creating the scenarios that they needed to determine the physical size of the guy they were looking for. “I won’t lie to you Angela. It’s going to be hard to see this, not to mention the fact that you have to do a re-creation of what could have happen. But I will be there for you if it becomes too much.”

“Thanks” she said then smiled at him before turning to walk into the lab.

She purposely walked past the platform to go to her office. She knew that what they had evidence wise, would be on the tables. It was bad enough to see Brennan in the hospital bed so broken. Angela knew if she had to see her blood soaked clothing as this moment she would completely lose it. Reaching her office she had just enough time to remove her coat and put her purse down before Zach came in.

“I need your help” he stated in his usual bland tone.

“I know, but can you give me a minute. I’ll meet you in the Angelator room in a few okay” she replied.

Zach didn’t really give her a response. He simply retreated from her office.

Angela was once again left alone with her thoughts. As her mind conjured up the possible things that could have happened to her friend, the very things that she was expected to re-create caused her to cringe. Every possible idea could actually be what had happened. It made her physically sick. She felt weak in the knees and she was taking in deep breaths to ward off passing out as she was fighting off the strong urge to vomit. As the time passed she was able to get her breathing under control. She no longer felt sick at her gruesome thoughts. She was instead growing more and more pissed off. Angela knew now that she would try her hardest to make everything seem real if it would lead to her friend’s attacker. She would let nothing stop her not even her own weakness, she was ready now. She got up and walked out the door of her office turning the corner heading for the room where the others were waiting for her.

Walking into the room she saw everyone she had expected to see. Cam was standing in the corner of the room with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a very pensive look on her face. It was as if there was no one else in the room with her. Zach and Hodgins were arguing over something. Angela had no idea what it was though and to be honest at the moment she couldn’t care less, unless it had to do with the case. She wanted to do this and catch the bastard responsible for Brennan’s current condition.

It didn’t take long for Cam and the guys to notice that she was there. Hodgins gave her a reassuring look. It was just a way for him to show her that he was there for her if she needed him.

“We’re all here now, are we ready to start?” Cam asked after Angela sat down behind the computer. She got her answer in the form of nods. “Alright Zack you’re the one that had this epiphany so you need to tell Angela what has to be done so we can deduce what happened.

He was nervous at first but he had been trained by the best so his rational mind soon took control allowing him to focus on his work. “To start we need to put in the information for Dr. Brennan’s physical descrïption so we can find out the exact size someone would have to be to break her bones that way.”

Angela put the necessary characteristic traits into the computer all the while trying to forget the fact that this was Brennan essentially. Completing the task in a relatively short amount of time she looked up at the hologram she had just generated. The figure looked exactly like the anthropologist. It was like having the woman in the room with them the likeness was that good.

“Oh god. I’ll change it to just a silhouette right away.” She hadn’t meant to give the hologram the appearance of Brennan but her mind must have subconsciously done it anyway. Quickly fixing the hologram, she couldn’t bare to watch the simulation if she had left it the way it was before, it was going to be hard to watch as a silhouette. She looked to Zach asking him to continue on with what else had to be done create the scenario that they had discussed before she had arrived.

Getting the go ahead from Angela, Zach proceeded to tell her exactly what he wanted her to put into the computer. Finished with entering the required force that was needed she looked at him and asked “What about the weapon?”

Zach, forgetting that Angela hadn’t been in the lab in the last week answered her question without thought to the reaction she might have. “Steel toed shoes. We may have to get you to try to reverse engineer the brand later from the x-rays.” Hodgins cleared his throat to stop Zach from continuing on with whatever else he was going to say.

Angela gave him a blank look, the sick feeling she had earlier returning to her. Out of everything that her mind had conjured up none of them had included steel toed boots and Brennan being stomped into the ground. As her mind pictured it she was at a loss of words. Taking a deep breath she tried to clear the idea from her mind before she had to actually see it in holographic form. Unsure of her ability to speak at the present moment without giving into the urge to scream she just did what Zach told her.

They ran what seemed like a hundred simulations before they had finally come up with one that seemed to fit everything that Zach had said had happened considering how Brennan’s bones had been broken. What they had was an extremely disturbing realistic portrayal. Now they all knew how violent and intense the attack had been. The only question now was how Booth going to react to once he saw what had happened.

CheeseBK

Posted 22/11/2007 12:57:15 AM


ah, pps.......... it must be torture for them to work on brennan's case -
another great chapter, sany

Bella Loony

Posted 22/11/2007 01:10:22 PM


Okay Sany, I'm an IDIOT!! I didn't realize that you had posted chapter 8!! LET ME KNOW SISTER!! Okay, when Brennan tells Booth that she loves teddy bears, oh my gawd so cute, especially Angela and Booths reaction. I also loved Booth and Angela's interaction trying not to say anything that would let Brennan on to what they have to do. I thought that was brilliant and again Zach and Cam were great as well as Hodgins. You write the squints so well and you always keep them in character so well!!

Okay Chapter 9:

Angela battling her fears about having to re-create Brennans crime scene was heart breaking and I think you did that so well. Angela was so heartbroken in 'Skull in the desert' with having to deal with Kirk's case and I think you really got to see her at her best. This chapter was a lot like that for me, because it being her best friend, but also the fact that she doesn't always necessarily have the science to back her up and cushion her fall. Very nicely done Sany as always and we will discuss chapter 10 quite soon!! LOVED IT!!

Bella

Posted 25/11/2007 01:11:26 PM

Alright so after a little tinkering I'm finally gonna post chapter 10. Bella thanks for the feedback as always chicky. Thanks for your comments guys I really do appreciate them.

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Chapter 10

After Brennan had fallen asleep Booth decided that it was time to get back to work. He left her a note in case she woke up and panicked that there was no one with her. If it wasn’t for the fact that the case he was working on was hers he never would have left her alone. Now he was once again back at the Jeffersonian heading for the glass doors of the lab to look for answers about what had happened to his partner.

Walking into the lab Booth’s eyes scanned the area for someone that could give him what he wanted. He could see Cam in her office and that settled his search, she would be the one that had what he was looking for. He marched over to the door, knocked and walked in. Cam looked up at him from behind her desk where she was staring at a bunch of pictures.

“What can you tell me?” Booth asked. He stretched his neck trying to see what she was looking at.

Knowing what Booth was looking for she didn’t bother with common pleasantries. “Angela has the simulation done and you can watch it when you’re ready.” Her eyes went back to the women in the photos she had been staring at. *I know there is something familiar about these women besides the fact that they all resemble Dr. Brennan in size and hair color. If I could only put my finger on what it is.*

“Hey Cam, are you listening to me?” Booth asked snapping her out of her thoughts.

“What? Sorry, no I wasn’t. I was trying to figure out why these women seem so familiar to me” she said gesturing to the photos.

Taking her gesture as an invitation to look at the photos Booth walked over to her desk to get a better look at them. Upon scanning the photos he thought the answer was obvious. He voiced his opinion “Cam all these women look like Bones.”

“I know that. It’s just that there is something else that is familiar about them to me that’s all. I haven’t yet been able to figure it out yet though” she said staring intently at the photos.

“Well if you figure it out let me know okay. Now shall we go see this simulation that Angela has created?” he asked.

“I’ve already seen it” she said. The fact that she didn’t want to have to watch it again was evident in her tone of voice.

“Okay then. I’m going to go get Angela then. Is she in her office I didn’t see her on the platform when I came in.”

“Yes I think she is.” She said once again turning her attention to trying to figure out where she had seen these women to before.

Booth left Cam to go find Angela so he could see what they had come up with regarding the attack on Bones. He walked into her office to find that she wasn’t there. *I thought Cam said she was in her office. She’s probably in Hodgins office if she’s not here.* He turned back to the hallway to head for the entomologist’s office. Seeing Hodgins but no Angela, Booth asked “Hodgins have you seen Angela?”

“She was here earlier but she left saying she had to be alone for a while. Did you check her office?” Hodgins asked. He received a 'do I look like a complete idiot glare' from Booth.

“Right, if she’s not there I’d check Dr. Brennan’s office.”
Booth nodded. *Hodgins is probably right. Angela will probably be in there even though Bones is in the hospital.* “Thanks Hodgins” he said leaving the entomologist’s office.

When he got to Brennan’s office he could see Angela curled up on the couch. The woman had obviously been crying. “Are you okay, Angela?” Booth asked.

She looked up at him. She was going to tell him she was fine at first but she knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her true feelings. “No Booth. No I’m not okay. Someone has nearly killed my best friend. I had to do a re-creation of her attack and we still don’t have any idea who could have done it.”

Booth knew how she felt. He was as frustrated as she was that they weren’t any closer to finding a suspect. At least when they had a suspect he could actually do something besides staring at files and evidence. He knew that he would get the truth from them once they actually had a suspect in custody. “I’m going to find out who did this to Bones, Angela. I don’t care if I have to question every person in D.C. I will find who did this” he told her adamantly.

Angela smiled at him. She knew that he loved Brennan, that was made very clear that night in the hospital when she had seen him asleep next to her. She also knew that Booth would do exactly as he said to find the guy that had attacked Bren. “Well I can help you narrow down your search a bit” she told him. When Booth gave her a questioning look she elaborated “The guy you’re looking
for is approximately 6 foot 2 and about 195 pounds.”

Booth didn’t know what to think. This was definitely a step in the right direction. “I take it you have the simulation finished then?” he asked already knowing the answer was yes.

“Yes it’s ready for you to view when you want to.” She told him.

“Let’s go then. The sooner I see the simulation the faster I’ll be able to get to work on who could have done this.”

Angela got up off the couch to go with Booth to the Angelator room. Once they were there she took her place behind the computer to set up what she and the guys came up with earlier. Before playing the hologram Angela asked “Are you ready?”
Booth nodded his head as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to see.

The hologram consisted of two silhouetted figures. One was the size of Brennan and the other was her attacker. At the start of the attack Booth could see that the smaller figure was fighting off the attacker as best as it could. He continued to watch as a fist knocked the smaller image down to the ground. Once down on the ground he continued to fall atop the smaller figure slamming their head into the ground. The attacker jumped up again kicking at the smaller figure. The hologram changed to show the skeletal structure of the victim. As the attacker’s kicks grew more rampant Booth heard the sickening crack of Bones’ ribs being broken as the hologram showed it.

As the hologram continued Booth jaw clenched tighter and tighter. It was a wonder that his teeth weren’t cracking at the pressure in which he clenched them. His knuckles were white as he was wringing his fist tightly. When the simulation finally stopped he turned to Angela. “Are you sure this is what happened?” he asked.

“We are pretty sure that this is the type of attack that happened. It explains the way her…” she paused to collect herself before continuing. “The way her bones were broken but there is not telling for sure. This only tells us what happened for her to receive the injuries that Bren has. It doesn’t tell else everything that happened. For example she may have fought him off longer then the simulation shows. She may even have given him a few injuries” Angela said. She hoped to god that her friends attack wasn’t worse then she had portrayed it to be.

Booth nodded. He was unable to speak. His body felt numb at what he had saw but he also felt Now that he knew if not exactly what happened to Brennan but a fairly good idea of what happened. He turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” Angela asked.

“I have to tell Cullen. He told me he wanted to know as soon as there was any new information. I have to go.” He was half way out the door when he answered her rushing off so he could do something to find the guy that attacked Brennan so he could give him the same treatment he had showed her.

**She was walking back to her car when she heard a noise behind her. Turning she saw no one. Must be my imagination she thought. Hearing the noise again she stopped and turned around. This time though it wasn’t her imagination, someone was there. Suddenly she was blinded by a spray of mist in her face.

Her face felt like it was on fire. She couldn’t open her eyes against the burning pain. She couldn’t breathe properly. All she could think despite the burning was no matter what happened fight back! She felt someone grab her arm. She immediately threw her entire weight into an elbow delivered to the ribs of her attacker. She heard a grunt of pain, the sharp intake of breath lets her know that she has delivered that elbow correctly in her blinded state. At the very least her attacker was now forced with severely bruised ribs if she was lucky she may have fractured one. After hitting him she no longer knew where her attacker was so she was completely unprepared for the fist that had connected with her left cheek.

She doesn’t fall when he hits her. She instinctually turned delivering a kick to the back of his knee bringing him down for the moment. She may not be able to see where her attacker was but he had given his position away when he had hit her. But now, however, she is once again unaware of where he is. She feels a pair of arms wrap around her midsection before she is slammed into the pavement. Even though he is on top of her she continues to fight him punching with all the strength she can muster. He grabs her right arm and gives it a hard pull to stop her from struggling. She lets out a gut wrenching scream as she feels the shoulder pop out of joint.

He wraps his hands around her small neck intent on choking the life out of her. She desperately pries at his hands with the fingers of her left hand. He gives her head a violent shake slamming it into the pavement below her. Dazed by the blow and the lack of oxygen for the moment, she feels his weight lift off her. She doesn’t have time to wonder what he is going to do with her before he starts to kick her repeatedly. Knowing that she is not going to be able to get up she struggles to roll over on her right side to try to at least protect some of her body from his frenzied kicks. Once she is on her side she hears a sickening crack when he kicks her, the sound of her own ribs being broken.

As he continues to stomp on her she hears more bones snap. She doesn’t know what’s worse having to hear the sound the bones make as they are being broken or feeling the searing pain from it happening. As the attack continues the only thing she can think is that she is going to die. She is never again going to see Angela, Zack, Hodgins, Booth and even Cam again. Her last though before she temporarily passes out from the pain is I’m going to die alone.

When she wakes again she finds that her body is afire with pain from her attack. She was no longer in the parking lot of the gym she was at, and that she seemed to be moving. She suppressed a groan when she felt a bump that sent pain shooting through her. Fighting off a wave of nausea that caught her with the rush of pain, and not wanting to fight the feeling of passing out she lets it overtake her again to escape the torture.

The last time she wakes she can hear murmurs in the distance. She takes them to be voices. Desperately she wants to scream, for them to come to her. She knows that if she passes out once more that most likely she’ll die. She doesn’t know how she knows this but she just does. The pain is so intense that she forgets who she is. She just wants it to go away and never come back. Anything would be better at this point than what she was feeling right then.**

After telling Cullen everything he had found out about Brennan’s attack, Booth spent the rest of his work day going over Brennan’s case and the cases of the other three women to see if he could find any connection between them. There was nothing, other than the fact that the pepper spray that was used on the four women was the same brand. He was tempted to go back to the lab to try and get more information out of what they had but decided instead to go to hospital to see Brennan. He wasn’t sure if she was awake or still resting but either way he knew that that was the place he had to be right now.

When Booth walked into Brennan’s room he could hear her whimpering in her sleep. Worried about her he went to her to gently shake her awake. As he neared the bed he could see tears leaking from the corners of her eyes down her face. Gently, he grasped her shoulders so she wouldn’t jump like she did the first time she had a nightmare Booth shook her softly.

“Bones” he spoke kindly. “Bones wake up you’re having a nightmare.” Slowly she came awake. Booth thought that she would stop crying once she woke and realized she was safe and her rational mind took over. She seemed to cry harder once she was fully awake though. Booth slipped his arms around her careful of her left side. He gently rubbed her back up and down. He could feel her shaking softly as she sobbed. He wondered if it hurt her to cry like this but figured that letting her emotions out was better for her in the long run.

“Shhh. I’m here Bones. You’re okay. It was just a nightmare that’s all” he soothed.

“I-I-It wasn’t a-a-a nightmare Booth” she sobbed.

He felt his chest tighten at her words. *She remembers. Why does she have to remember something that’s only going to cause her more pain?* “You remember what happened don’t you?” Booth said.

“Yes” was her one word answer. She held onto him as if her life depended on it.

Booth gently rubbed her back to help settle her. She was still crying after about fifteen minutes of Booth holding her but her tears were no longer accompanied by the racking sobs she had earlier. He knew how bad her attack had been. He had seen the simulation that Angela had done. However the simulation only showed them what they had suspected happened concerning her injuries. What actually happened and experiencing the ordeal first hand was a whole different matter.

He felt his phone vibrate in the pocket in his jacket having turned off the sound due to hospital regulations. He ignored the phone. Comforting her was much more important at the moment than any phone call he could be receiving. He didn’t know that Cam was on the other end with information that tied the three women and Brennan together.

Bella Loony

Posted 25/11/2007 03:02:25 PM


SANY!!

Heartwrenching!! Ahhh!! I know that I have read it a thousand times and gone over it twenty and chatted with you about it, but it still makes me cry!! When Booth is trying to comfort her and he takes on the weight of the attack, aw, it just gets me everytime. Also when Booth finds Angela in Brennans office, that makes me sad too! Send what ya have when ya want, I'll be there to read it, great job sweetie!!

Bella

BoothnBones9

Posted 25/11/2007 04:12:14 PM


Pick up the damn phone, Booth! It's Cam, with the information linking all 3 women to Brennan! Then you can go get the bad guy and smash him to pieces!!!

CheeseBK

Posted 26/11/2007 04:29:46 AM


great, really... but so heartwrenching..... ahhhhh

Posted 28/11/2007 12:56:52 AM

Thanks guys. Bella love how you've read this at least a dozen times and still you come up with something different to say for every chapter. Thanks for going over this for me again. So here is chapter 11!!

_________________________________________________________________

Chapter 11

Brennan lay as close to Booth as was comfortable. He was still holding her but now he was lying on the bed beside her instead of sitting on the edge. Even his mere presence was a comfort to her after remembering the attack.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Booth asked. She didn't answer him. She just stared at her broken legs. Not getting a response he started to think that she was walling herself off again. This was what she had always done, erect walls around herself whenever she was hurt. He was afraid that she was going to push him away even though he knew she needed him.

He tried again to get her to open up. "You don't have to talk about it right now Bones, but when you're ready know that I'm here for you. It might make you feel better to get it off you're chest." At his statement she glanced from her legs to her chest then looked back at him confused. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at her expression. "What I mean is that letting out what you are feeling may help you. It might make you feel a little better having someone to share it with."

"Oh," she said with a small voice turning her gaze back to her legs.

Booth sighed knowing that he was not going to get anything out of her tonight. All he could do was wait and be there for her until she was ready to tell him what had happened. No matter how hard it would be to hear he would not leave her to face this type of pain alone.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," he told her hugging her a little more tightly.

She nodded but her mind was elsewhere. She was watching as the dream was replaying in her mind. It was like passing a car wreck on the highway no matter how much you wanted to look away, shield yourself from the carnage something inside you just wouldn't let you look away. It was the same with her dream. No matter how much she wanted to forget it ever happen her mind wouldn't let her, it just kept repeating the same images over and over.

She was jarred out of her thoughts by a small noise coming from the door. Apparently Booth had also heard the noise because he turned the same time she did to see who had come into the room. They should have been able to guess who it would be.

Angela stood there watching the two on the bed with a smile plastered to her face. She could tell that something wasn't quite right but the sight of the two of them curled up next to each other on the bed just seemed so perfect that she didn't focus on what seemed wrong.

She had come to the hospital to visit Brennan. She had found it weird not being at the hospital that day considering she had spent most of her time there lately. But she had also come as a favour to Cam to try and get the man next to Brennan to go to the lab for the new information that she had for him. The woman had tried calling Booth four times to no avail, Angela had called twice herself. She knew that Booth would be at the hospital with Brennan. He had been there every night since she had been brought in.

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm fine" Brennan said though anyone could tell that she was anything but fine by the look in her eyes.

Angela wasn't buying it but let the matter drop for the moment. She had to tell Booth what she had come here for first then she could go back to getting her friend to tell her the truth.

"Booth, Cam asked me to tell you that she has something that might interest you" she said. She was trying to get Booth to leave without tipping off Brennan as to why he was leaving. "She said you mentioned this morning that she was to call you immediately if she remembered what she had forgotten. She said she'd be at the lab until midnight." She hoped she was being vague enough to fool the woman. Angela had no such luck though, Brennan saw right through her.

"Booth why don't you go and see what Cam has found out about my attack" Brennan said.

"Alright, I'll go Bones but I will be back later on okay/" He said a little unsure. He didn't like leaving her after she had finally remembered what had happened to her. He was hoping that after a little more coaxing she would tell him what had happened. Sliding from the bed he looked down at her asking "Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself? I can stay. I could talk to Cam in the morning"

She nodded to him saying "No Booth. Go I'll be fine."

"What am I the invisible woman" Angela said a little indignantly having been forgotten "She has me. I'm not going anywhere."

Booth looked from one woman to the next shaking his head slightly. He knew he had to go see Cam what she had would be extremely important to the case. He just didn't feel right leaving his partner right now.

He walked to the door stopping to look back at the two women in the room. Angela had taken a seat in the chair next to Brennan's bed. Seeing that he hadn't left yet she made a shooing gesture with her hand. He sighed once again before opening the door leaving them alone.

"Alright Bren, tell me what's wrong." Angela said as soon as Booth had left.

"What makes you think that something is wrong?" asked the anthropologist.

Angela looked at her with one eyebrow quirked up her voice was soft and understanding though. "Sweetie I've known you for, well it seems like my whole life. I know that something is wrong, so spill already."

Brennan looked away from her friend trying to stop the flow of tears that were about to descend from her eyes. She knew that Booth was right she had to tell someone what had happened. But she wasn't ready to deal with the looks that they would undoubtedly give her. Who was she kidding she wasn't sure if she would be able to get through it before she broke down into a sobbing mess like she had done when Booth woke her up earlier. She was having a hard time not crying now and she hadn't even said anything yet.

Angela quickly picked up on her friend's fragile emotional state so she backed off on the questioning. "Its okay sweetie we can talk about it later when you're ready" she said softly reaching out and squeezing her friend's hand.

Brennan nodded looking back at Angela with tear filled eyes. "Thanks Ange" she said. She was grateful that Angela wasn't going to pressure her into talking just yet. She reclaimed her hand to wipe away the tears from the bottom of her lids threatening to spill.

"What are best friends for sweetie if not to be there when you need them huh?" She smiled at her friend reassuringly taking Brennan's hand again. "Aren't you tired sweetie?" the artist innocently asked.

"No" Brennan said a little too quickly. Her reaction and the fear that was evident in her eyes were enough to give Angela a hint at what was bothering her. *She must have remembered something, or she is having nightmares.*

"So if you're not tired what do you want to do?" Angela asked. Getting a blank look from the anthropologist she continued. "I vote for watching a movie on that ridiculously small TV there, or we could talk about you and Booth." She left the choice to Brennan knowing that there was no way they would be talking about Brennan and Booth in this particular moment. She just had to find some way to take Brennan's mind off what was bothering her and teasing her about Booth came naturally.

Sighing Brennan looked at her friend. *How does she always find a way to bring up Booth and I.* "I guess a movie would be fine, although you choose I'd have no idea what to watch" she said gesturing to the remote lying on the bedside table.

"Alright" the artist said grinning. After flipping through the channels for about fifteen minutes she finally found something. "Perfect" she said turning up the volume on the TV. She hadn't seen this movie in a long time. She used to watch it with her grandmother it being one of her favourites. Angela doubted that Brennan had ever say it.

"What did you find?" Brennan asked.

"Anastasia. Have you ever seen it?"

"Actually, yes I have." Brennan said surprising her friend. "It has Ingrid Bergman in it right?"

"That's the one" Angela replied. "How do you know it?"

"I use to watch it all the time when I was younger. Drove Russ crazy" she said with a small smile. "I always liked the idea of Anna being more then what she seemed."

"Guess I chose right then" she said settling back into the chair to watch the movie.

Booth didn't bother with looking for Cam when he walked into the Jeffersonian he just went strait to her office. Marching in he looked at Cam and waited for her to look up.

"What have you got Cam?" Booth asked.

"Well for starters I remember where I saw those women. There's a gym close to here that I go to sometimes, Healthy Body Workouts" she said. "The last few times I've been there I've seen at least one of these women. At first I thought that they were Dr. Brennan and was going to say hi, but I came to realize that neither one was her, they only resembled her."

Booth let a smile spread across his face. *Finally we have a lead. I can go to the gym question people and get security tapes. There has to be a tape of the parking garage. I'll have Bones' attacker within the week.* His mind was in overdrive about all the things he could do now that they had a lead that he could follow.

"Booth" Cam said shaking the agent away from his thoughts. "There is more."

"What?"

"Hodgins found more particulates embedded in Dr. Brennan's clothes he is waiting for you to go see him. He said he wants to tell you himself before you leave" Cam finished.

Booth was gone from Cam's office faster than he had come in. Now he was practically running towards Hodgins' office. He was halfway down the hall to the office when he noticed that the man he was looking for was on the platform examining something under a microscope. Spinning around he reached into his pocket for his card getting it out in time to swipe before he went up the stairs.

"Hodgins, Cam said that you had something for me" Booth stated coming to a stop beside the entomologist.

"Yeah I do. Take a look at what I found" he said moving aside to allow the agent to look through the microscope.

"What am I looking at Hodgins?" Booth asked confused.

"That my friend is gypsum dust" he replied with a smug smile.

"And" Booth prompted.

"I found it in Dr. Brennan clothing. It was embedded into the actual fibers of the clothing. It had to have come from the attacker's shoes when he was kicking her."

Booth looked at him. "Are you saying that this guy could possibly be a construction worker?"

"It is a possibility; gypsum is used in sheet rock."

Booth's face broke out into a full fledged grin. "You know that this combined with what Cam has told me about the other three victim's means. We finally have a place to start asking questions and possibly someone to ask them about."

Hodgins was somewhat confused at first but quickly caught on. "The women were all taken from the same place?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if they were all taken from the same place but they were all in that gym at one point or another" Booth told him.

"What's the name of the gym?" Hodgins asked.

"Cam said it was called Healthy Body Workouts."

After Booth give Hodgins the name of the gym the entomologist's mind quickly remembers something else about the gym. "That place is doing renovations. I've hear Dr. Brennan complaining about the fact that she can't get the room she usually gets when she is practicing her kickboxing."

"How long have they been renovating?" Booth asks urgently trying to figure out whether or not it fits in with the time line of the other three women's attacks and murders.

"About two months I think."

Booth thought back to his conversation with Cullen. *It's just reminding me of a case, well three cases actually, that crossed my desk last month.* "It fits" Booth said forgetting about Hodgins for a second.

"What fits?" Hodgins asked intrigued by Booths words.

"The other cases showed up last month. Each woman was attacked and kept alive for a week before she was killed. Give him some time to find a new victim and it all fits together. Bones would have been his fourth victim. The suspect has definitely been in that gym. And if I had to put a bet on it I'd say he is one of the construction workers with the company doing the renovations. Hodgins work on the evidence from the other three victims see if you can get anything from them that can be traced back to construction work. Anything at all this may lead us to the bastard who attacked Bones." Booth was already marching towards the lab doors to go tell Cullen what he found and then he was off to the gym to talk to the owner about the company that he had hired.

he is a wee little
puppet man

Posted 28/11/2007 01:40:12 PM


SSSSSSSSSWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Finally a break in the case!

Sany this is getting better and better and hell it was already outstanding!

Girl you rock!!!!!!!!

Bella Loony

Posted 28/11/2007 02:00:36 PM


Sany,

Ahhh, this chapter is so monumental!! Finally a break for Booth to work. His reluctance to leave Brennan's side, all of it! Really truly fantastic! I love that Angela and Booth are switching off, but they are going down the same route. They are trying to get her to open up as much as possible without hurting her more. Loving the fluff!!

Of course I have something different to say, this is one of my all time faves!! I truly believe this could actually be an episode, change focus a little more and work the comfort angle!! Send it in Sany, SEND IT IN!!

As always, I loved it!!

Send 12 when you're ready!!

Bella

DBAngelfan

Posted 30/11/2007 01:42:21 AM


oooh yeah a break...post soon!

saraluvzbonz

Posted 30/11/2007 02:08:38 AM


Sany, this is a wonderful story. I think I'm going to go back and read it from the beginning again. :-)

CheeseBK

Posted 03/12/2007 05:04:04 AM


oh.... wow... this is so amazing... I am totally hooked on this

Posted 10/12/2007 11:01:59 AM

Thanks Bella, DB, sara, and of course Cheese. So glad you guys are enjoying this even if it's the second or in Bella's case hundredth time reading this lol. And Bella ummm, well, Damnit I have no idea what to say to that wonderful review you so I'll say thanks and move on. Oh and thanks for the beta job as always.

______________________________________________________________

Chapter 12

Booth sat in Cullen’s office waiting for his boss to return. After leaving the Jeffersonian the night before he realized that there was no way he would be able to get to interview the owner of the gym that night since it was already past midnight. He had called Cullen though. The Deputy Director hadn’t been pleased to be woken but had agreed to meet him in his office at seven the next morning. So now Booth was waiting for the man to come back from getting his morning coffee so he could fill him in on what they had found.

Booth heard the noise of the door close behind him as the director stepped into the room. He walked over to his desk and set his mug down before addressing Booth.

“Okay Booth, I know that you wouldn’t have called me at 1:00 am if it wasn’t important so, what did your squints find?” he asked.

“Cam was looking at the three victims photos when she remembered that she had seen the women before. She said that she had seen them at a gym called Healthy Body Workouts, and had mistaken the women for Dr. Brennan. That is how she remembered them.” Booth explained.

“Okay that explains a link to the three women but how do they link to Dr. Brennan?”

“The gym is close to the Jeffersonian so it would make perfect sense that she may have been there once or twice. Plus Hodgins said he remembered her complaining about the construction work that has been going on in the building.”

“Alright Booth what are you still doing here go talk to the gym owner and employees” Cullen said ushering the younger agent out of his office.

“Sir, there’s more.” Booth stated

Cullen stopped ushering and instead asked “What.....more?”

“Hodgins found traces of gypsum dust embedded into Bones’ clothes. The only way for them to have gotten there were for them to be transferred from the attackers shoes to her when he was kicking her.” Booth had a sudden flash back to the simulation he had watched earlier, his fists instinctively clenched tighter at the memory.

“And you said that the gym is under going construction?”

“Yes, I believe Hodgins said it has been going on for about two months now.” Booth replied.

“I take it then that you believe the attacker is from the construction agency that is working at the gym then.” Cullen stated.

“Well it would be an awful big coincidence if it weren’t.” Cullen raised his eyebrows at Booth’s sarcastic tone of voice. He understood the younger man’s attitude given the circumstances so he decided to cut him some slack and let the comment and tone of voice slide.

“Okay Booth. I tend to agree with you on this but we’re going to need more then dust and a gym. Is there anything else your squints have that can tie the attacker to that gym?” Cullen asked

“Not yet, but now that they know what they are looking for it shouldn’t be long now. Zack still hasn’t found the weapon used to slit the three women’s throats but at least now he can focus on a weapon that a construction worker may have.”

“Good. You can go now Booth. Get everything you can from that gym owner and his employees. I want to know everything.” Cullen said.

“Yes sir,” was Booth’s reply as he walked out of the office.

It didn’t take long for Booth to get to Healthy Body Workouts. He knew that everything he had been looking for would be found at the gym. Walking through the doors of the building the first thing he took notice of was that there were no security cameras. *There goes the idea that I could get the attacker from security tapes.* He walked towards the main desk taking in everything around him. The people working out, the trainers instructing those that deemed to have one, and the blue tarps covering an area that he assumed was being remodelled.

“Excuse me Miss but I’m looking for the owner.” Booth said once he reached the main desk.

“I’m sorry sir if you’re unhappy with the current state of the gym but I assure you that Mr. Jameson can do nothing about it at the moment.” The young woman replied instantly not looking up from her scheduling book.

*She has obviously had to say that a lot.* “I’m not here to complain about the current state of the gym” Booth said flipping his badge open onto the book.

The young woman stopped ignoring Booth. She inspected the badge. “What has he done now?” she asked in a disapproving tone.

Booth was a little taken aback. That was the last question he had expected the woman to ask. *I wonder if she hiding anything about these women’s attacks.* His blood began to boil at the thought. “What do you mean by that question Miss…?”

“Casey, Kyra Casey. And I’m talking about Mr. Jameson’s son Mitchell. He has a tendency to get himself into trouble.” Kyra said.

“I see.” Booth said cryptically. *I guess I might not be looking for a construction worker after all.*

“So what has the little runt done this time? He didn’t spray paint another car has he cause I’m pretty sure his father is still paying to have the last three repainted.” She said shaking her head at the memory of what the young man had done to those cars.

“No there haven’t been any cars spray painted that I know of. I’m here to investigate the murders of three women that used to come to this gym.” He had to unclench his jaw to say the rest “Along with the brutal attack on another woman who is currently in the hospital.”

Kyra’s face blanched just hearing Booth mention the word murder. When her shock wore off she was quick to defend her boss’s son. “There is no way that Mitchell was involved in anything that brutal. Sure if had to do with vandalism or being a nuisance in general I’d agree. But murder there is just no way.”

“Well Miss Casey there is a way for us to clear up this matter.” Booth said.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“You can first tell me how tall Mitchell is, and then you can tell me where his father is because I’m pretty sure I’m going to need to talk to him.” Booth said in a menacing tone.

The woman looked confused at why Booth would want to know the boy’s height but the tone in which he had spoken caused her to answer without thinking. “Mitchell is only five two. To be honest I think that is the reason he acts out. He is trying to compensate for his height.”

Booth’s face fell at her words. *Damn. No way it could have been the kid then, Angela said that the attacker was six two.* “And your boss where is he?” he asked.

“Mr. Jameson is in his office dealing with the mess that the contractor has left him. As you can see the project still isn’t finished and it was only supposed to last two weeks.” Kyra replied gesturing towards the blue tarps.

“And where exactly is his office?” Booth asked eager to get the name of the contractor and his workers.

“I’ll take you there.” Kyra said getting up to lead the agent to a back area housing three offices.

They passed the first two offices. One was marked Kyra Casey, and the other was marked Paul Spencer. When they came to Jameson’s office they could hear shouts coming from the door.

“I don’t care how many problems you say you ran into. A project that was only supposed to take two weeks does not turn into eight. I’m telling you, Joe if you don’t have this done by the end of the week I will hire someone else to finish it.”

There was silence for a moment. Booth guessed Joe was trying to explain the problems that he had encountered.

“Fine, Joe, fine. I’ll give you another week and a half but if you don’t have it worked out by then I will not hesitate to call another company.” There was silence again. “Yeah alright I’ll see you later then.” There was the distinct sound of the phone being hung up.

Kyra gently knocked on the office door.

“Come in” was the gruff answer she received.

“Mr. Jameson there is a man here to see you. He’s from the FBI” she said a little timidly.

“Damn it what did that boy do this time?” he asked angrily.

“Well to the best of my knowledge the ‘boy’ has done nothing.” Booth replied walking into the office.

Jameson eyed the agent for a few seconds before offering him a seat. Finally his curiosity got the better of him. “If you’re not here because of Mitchell, why are you here?” he asked.

“I’m here to ask you a few questions about the company you hired to do renovations to your gym.” Booth said.

“Don’t tell me that the company is a fraud” he said worriedly.

“Not to my knowledge. I’m investigating the murder of three women and the brutal attack of another. We discovered that all the women have been to this gym where there is construction going on. Evidence is leading us to believe that someone on the construction team may be involved. Of course nothing is certain we’re just trying to cover all bases here.” Booth said trying not to give away too much on the case. His gut was telling him that he was right, that he would find what he was looking for here, that it was just a matter of getting everything he needed.

“What happened to these women?” Jameson asked.

“I’m sorry sir but I’m not a liberty to discuss any more of the case with you then I already have.”

“Of course, I don’t know what I was thinking. If there is anything I can do to help you just ask” he said politely.

“How about for starters you give me the name of the company you are using in your construction and the names of the workers.” Booth said again. He was quickly losing his patience with the man sitting across from him.

“E&J Constructions is the name of the company. Although I never would have hired them if I knew that it would take them this long to do what I asked for. As for the names of the workers involved you’re going to have to ask Joe. I don’t know any of their names.”

Booth wrote the name of the company down in a little note book he pulled from his pocket. He then pulled out three photos. One of each murdered woman. He purposefully left Brennan’s picture out.

“Do you recognize any of these women?” Booth asked.

Looking at the pictures in front of him Jameson nodded. “This one is familiar. Yeah that’s Anna. She usually comes in every two or three days I was wondering what happened to her. Haven’t seen her in a couple of months” understanding finally crossed his mind. “She’s not one of the murdered women is she?” he asked a little shocked.

“I’m sorry but I can’t release that information just yet.” Booth replied. “Mr. Jameson I noticed that you don’t have security cameras in the gym. You wouldn’t by any chance have them in your parking garage would you?” Booth asked. It was a long shot but he figured asking couldn’t hurt.

“Parking garage isn’t mine.” Jameson said still staring at the photo of the woman he had named Anna. “It belongs to the building next door. My customers just use it. It’s more convenient then parking on the street.”

“Do you know the name of the owner?” Booth asked hopefully. *Hopefully this guy believes in more security then Jameson does.*

“Yeah it’s Marcus. I can’t remember his last name though.”

“Alright, thank you for your time Mr. Jameson.” Booth said handing over one of his cards. “If you can think of anything else give me a call. Anything at all” he insisted.

Jameson nodded as the agent gathered up the photos and walked out the door.

As Booth climbed into the SUV his cell phone rang. Hastily grabbing the phone he flipped it open giving his customary greeting.

“Booth”

“Booth its Cam” a voice over the phone said.

“Zack found out what kind of knife was used to slit the throat of the three women.”

Booth waited impatiently for Cam to tell him what the young doctor had found.

“It was a utility knife. You know the kind that is used to cut carpet, cardboard boxes and gypsum wall board.”

Booth’s face lit up into a grin. Now he had evidence that not only connected the women to the same gym but he also had evidence that connected them all to one possible suspect. Now all he had to do figure out who the suspect was once he got the names of the workers from the agency.

“That’s great. You guys keep doing what you do. I’ll be by the lab later.”

“Okay. Hodgins said he was going to check the swabs taken from the other three victims to see if he can find any gypsum dust like he found on Dr. Brennan’s clothes. I’ll call if there is anything else.” she said.

Booth hung up the phone before Cam had a chance to say anything else. He had a contractor and a parking garage owner to talk to.

CheeseBK

Posted 10/12/2007 02:35:28 PM


ah, sany.... thanks for posting the update.... oh, this is really good... can't wait for more

saraluvzbonz

Posted 11/12/2007 02:40:20 AM


Ah... soon the suspects will be appearing. I love interrogations...

Posted 17/12/2007 09:22:45 PM

Ok so apparently the aby didn't eat the story as I had thought. It just got misplaced, anyway it's back now and I thought I'd post the next chapter. As always thanks to Bella for going over this. Cheese, saraluvzbonz glad to see you're both enjoying it. Okay enought yammmering on with the next chapter.

_________________________________________________________________

Chapter 13

Booth walked into his office carrying twenty manila folders and a box of video tapes. *Who knew it took so many guys to do some simple remodelling.* The contractor had been very co-operative, once Booth had calmly, well maybe not so calmly explained why he was there. As hard as it was to believe the man had actually thought Booth was there to complain about the construction work they were doing. Apparently his team was not too concerned with deadlines. In fact if the gym was any indication they thrived on turning a simple job into months of work.

However, once Booth had mention the words ‘murdered women’ the contractor immediately began to co-operate while professing no one on his crew could have done something like that. The man had given Booth everything that he had on the men working on the gym. The result was Booth now had to go through twenty files to narrow down his suspect pool.

As he reached his desk he carefully laid the folders down he would deal with those later. His first priority was to look at the tapes he had gotten from the parking garage owner. Luckily for Booth the garage owner kept the tapes for a month before taping over them. When Booth had asked him why he kept them for that long the man shrugged saying ‘you never know when you might need them.’ He did have a point. Booth had needed them and now he had them.

Grabbing the tapes he needed, he moved to the VCR to put in the first tape. He wasn’t sure what he was going to find or what he was looking for really. He figured that he would fast forward the tapes until he saw Brennan. His plan however didn’t work. The owner didn’t label which tape was from what day. So after fast forwarding the first tape he saw something that stuck out. Rewinding he watched as a woman turned then almost immediately slunk to the ground gasping. Booth rewound the tape again playing it in slow motion. His face blanched this time. The tape was dated for that day.

Booth jumped up running towards Cullen’s office. When he reached he Deputy Director’s door he didn’t even knock, he just barged in.

“Booth what the hell…”

“He has another one” Booth said effectively cutting off what the director was saying.

Somewhat stunned by Booth’s announcement. The director asked “What do you mean he has another one?” He knew very well what Booth meant he just needed to hear the words to make the reality set in.

“The guy that killed those women, the same asshole that attacked Bones now has another victim.” Booth didn’t care that he was shouting. The fact that he was shouting at his boss seemed to have completely left his mind as well. All he knew was that another woman had just been attacked and he had a week to catch the bastard before he killed her.

“Booth if you don’t calm down I’ll take you off this case faster then you can say suspension.” Cullen snapped. That threat quickly sobered the raging Booth. “Okay now that I can see you have better control of yourself you can tell me how you know he has another woman.”

Booth took a deep breath. He was still on the borderline of losing his control. “I got the security tapes from the parking garage owner next to the gym. I was just going over them when something caught my eye. Rewinding the tape back I saw a woman in the top corner of the screen. She turned around and was abruptly on the ground gasping for air. It is the same as the other victims.” Booth explained.

“Did you get a look at the attacker?”

“No he was obstructed from view by a large pickup truck with a dump cover.” As soon as he said it an idea popped into Booth’s head. It didn’t take him long to voice it. “The truck was probably his. That’s how he takes his victims away from the scene. He probably has the back of the truck done up so that it is completely dark. I'd even bet that he has some kind of foam padding laid in the back.”

“Why would you say that?” Cullen asked.

“Hodgins found some blue fibres on Bones’ clothes.”

“Makes sense. Alright Booth I want you to take these tapes to your squints. Have them do whatever it is that they do. I’ll send a FBI forensics team to the parking garage to get any evidence that still may be there.”

Booth nearly jumped towards the door to go about doing what had to be done. Walking back down the hall towards his office he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Angela’s number. She picked up just as he reached his door.

“Hello.” she answered.

“Where are you?” Booth asked not even telling her who it was that was calling.

“Booth?”

“Yeah. Where are you?” he asked once again.

“Where do you think?” she said in an amused tone.

“You’re with Bones aren’t you.” It was more a statement than question. He could almost hear Angela shaking her head at him. “Never mind don’t answer that. Listen how fast can you get to the lab?” he asked.

Her attention peeked at this. “Soon I guess but…” she trailed off. Booth knew that she didn’t want to leave Brennan alone. The truth was he would like to avoid leaving her alone if at all possible especially since she now remembered her attack.

“You don’t want to leave her alone do you?”

She gave him a simple “No.”

“Alright how about this, I’ll go to the lab fill in the other squints. Then I’ll swing by the hospital fill you in and then you can go to the lab and do what has to be done.” Booth said.

“I guess that would be fine” she said still confused by what was going on.

“Alright see you in a couple of hours."

Angela hung up her phone turning back to her friend in the hospital bed. The woman had been staring at her during the entire conversation. She didn’t have to tell her who was on the phone it was just too obvious.

“So I take it that was Booth.” Brennan said looking at Angela as she sat back down in the uncomfortable hospital chair.

*They have to purposely make these things uncomfortable. There is no way a chair is supposed to feel like this. They’re probably trying to make sure the visiting hours are actually enforced this way.* Angela thought wryly.

“Yes that was Mr. FBI man himself.” She answered smiling.

“I’m also assuming that he's found something.” Brennan said in a matter of fact tone.

*Leave it to Bren to zero in on the one thing you try to hide from her.*

“Yes he has, but he didn’t tell me what it was so don’t even think about asking me what it is.” She joked lightly trying to perk up the anthropologist’s mood.

Brennan nodded giving her a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Angela began to wonder if she would ever see her friend truly smile again. She fought a frown that was trying to form on her face at the grim thought.

_________________________________________________________________

Two hours had nearly passed when Booth arrived at the hospital. When he reached Brennan’s hospital room he cracked the door slightly. Catching Angela’s gaze he motioned her to come outside the room. In a matter of minutes Angela was standing in front of Booth listening to what he had to tell her about what he had found.

“I was going over the tapes I got from the parking garage owner when I noticed something on them. I saw a woman being attacked, the same as Bones and the other three women. From what I can tell the attack happened today.” That simple fact quickly got her attention.

“You mean to tell me this guy has already attacked someone else so soon after Brennan?” she asked a touch of fear in her voice.

“Yeah which means I have one week to find him before he kills someone else. Listen I have only watched a couple of the tapes and hers was the only attack that I have come across so far.” He looked up into Angela’s dark concerned filled eyes. He knew it would be hard for her if she came across Brennan’s attack by herself. “I haven’t seen Bones’ attack yet. I want you to call me immediately if you find it. Don’t watch it by yourself get Hodgins to watch it with you okay.” Booth said. “Or better yet stop the tape and wait for me to get there before you watch it.”

“Okay Booth, I’ll call you the moment I find something, you didn’t even have to ask. Just do me one favour.” She said pleading to him with her eyes. “Get Brennan to talk about what happened. I know she remembers. She has been too withdrawn not to have remembered something. She needs to get it out Booth. The fear the attack caused will eat her alive. Please find someway to get her to open up. She won’t say anything to me but she may just tell you. I want to see the old Brennan again. Not this shell of the woman we all know and love.” She was on the verge of tears as she finished what she was saying.

“You know I’ll try my best Angela. I want her to talk about it as well. Even though she may hate psychology we both know there is healing in it.” Booth said gently squeezing her hand before he turned to go into the room.

“Thanks Booth” Angela said softly walking down the hallway towards the exit wiping away the tears that had collected at the bottoms of her lids.

Booth gently closed the door behind him thinking that Brennan may have been asleep. Turning back around he looked directly into the pale blue eyes of Temperance.

“Hey Bones. I thought you might have been sleeping.” He said placing a smile on his lips.

Here eyes still showed fear at the thought of going back to sleep. “No Booth I think I’ve slept enough for a while wouldn’t you say?” she said giving him a small smile. Once again the gesture didn’t reach her eyes.

Sighing Booth knew that Angela was right. He needed to get her to open up about what happened sooner rather than later. It would be the only way she would truly heal and go back to her old self.

Slowly he sat down in the well used chair next to her bed. Looking up into her eyes he asked “How are you Bones?”

“I’m fine Booth. Really there is no need to worry” she replied automatically. She had been expecting the question as soon as he walked in the door.

“Bones I know you’re not okay. I was here when you woke up remembering what happened. You need to talk about it. It is the only way you are going to heal yourself.” Booth said as gently as he could.

Brennan looked at him. She wanted to tell him what she had been through she just wasn’t sure she would be able to get it all out. Almost as if he had been reading her thoughts he said “Listen Temperance I’m your friend. Friends are meant to be there for you not only when you’re happy but when you need them the most. When you need them to reassure you that everything will be okay even if at that moment it seems that everything is going to hell. You need to tell someone what happened to you to help you heal. And yeah I know you hate psychology but face it you, are going to have to rely on it this time.” His voice was gentle but he still felt that he was being harsh. He prayed he wasn’t.

After a few silent moments Booth thought that she wasn’t going to say anything, that she was just going to sit there and continue to construct a wall around herself. She suddenly did something that Booth wasn’t expecting. She broke down and started to cry. He immediately began to feel guilt about the way he had spoken to her. He was just trying to help her and he ended up making her cry. He was just about to apologize for what he had said tell her that she could forget the whole thing when she began to talk.

“I was… I was leaving the gym” she said shakily. “I heard a noise” she stopped to stifle a sob that was building in her throat. Booth got up off the chair and sat on the bed putting one arm around her shoulder and taking her good hand with his other. He slowly rubbed his thumb back and forth in a soothing gesture.

“It's okay Bones, take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere” he said trying to give her all the strength he possessed.

Taking in a shuddering breath she picked up where she left off. “I heard the noise a sec-second time” her voice was laced with small hiccoughs since she was still trying to stop herself from crying. “When I turned I was blinded by a-a-a mist.” Her face felt afire once again with just the memory. “I couldn’t breath, and I couldn’t tell where he was.” Her voice was gaining strength though she lost her battle with the tears as they silently fell from her eyes.

“I felt him touch my arm so I reacted instinctively elbowing him in the ribs. I thi-think I may have fractured one.” That brought a small smile to Booth’s face. *Leave it to Bones. She is blinded and gasping for air and she still manages to break one of her attacker’s bones.* “I fought him off for a while. But when he… when he…” she had to stop there as a sob she couldn’t keep back escaped her lips.

“Shhh. its okay Bones let it out.” He said urging her to cry since she obviously needed to.

Finding strength in Booths gentle voice she continued. “When he got me on the ground he pulled my arm out of socket so I couldn’t fight back as much. He wrapped his hands around… around my throat slamming my head into the ground.”

Booth could feel his chest constrict tighter and tighter with every word she said. He knew it was going to be tough to listen to her but he also knew that it would be better for her to let out her feelings on what happened then keeping them in like she had always done.

“The only thing I could do was turn on my side and try to make myself as small a target as possible.” She paused wondering on whether or not she should tell him the next part. Finally she decided that she had to tell him. “I could hear my own bones breaking. I didn’t know what was worse hearing it or feeling it actually happen.” She was crying harder now. “I was so scared Booth. I was so scared that I was never going to get to see Angela, Cam, the guys, or you again. I thought that I was going to become one of those murder girls we so often investigate. I didn’t want to die Booth. I didn’t want to…” she could no longer hold her emotions back she was sobbing with every ounce of her being. Once the flood gates had opened it was all she could do to remember to breathe between the sobs.

Booth held her tightly as she cried. His own tears were silently sliding down his cheeks and into her soft hair. He felt as if her attacker had done everything to him when she was describing what had happened to her. His heart felt as if someone had put a vice on it and with every heart wrenching sob she emitted they turned the handle making it squeeze his heart tighter. He had to clench his stomach muscles so he wouldn’t sob with her. He knew that if he cried like that with her she would become withdrawn again not wanting to make him feel her pain.

“It’s okay Bones. You are right here. You’re alive and with me. You’ll never have to worry about not seeing me or the squints again.” The next thing he said was what she had been truly afraid of. “You are not alone, you’ll never be alone again, I’m not going to leave you now or ever and I promise you, that I, no we, will find the bastard that did this and he will pay for what he did to you.” He was gently stroking her hair to comfort her.

She was still sobbing but her sobs were a lot less violent than they had been. After about ten minutes Booth could tell that she had cried herself to sleep.

CheeseBK

Posted 18/12/2007 02:11:36 AM


oh..... poor brennan..... and booth is great at comforting her.... love it

DBAngelfan

Posted 19/12/2007 01:27:43 AM


more soon! *sniffle*

Posted 20/12/2007 12:56:40 AM

Thanks again to Bella that went over this for me. Okay I think this has to be one of my favourite chapters just for the simple fact it's so different from the rest of the chapters up to this point. It's not very long but oh well. Thanks again cheese and dbangelfan. Glad to see you're still liking it.

_________________________________________________________________

Chapter 14

She walked towards the water fountain which already had a line up. She had just finished with the bike and now she was ready to head home. Normally she would head to the showers first but today she changed her mind. He knew this because he had been watching her everyday for the past week. She waited patiently for the line to move.

He watched her soft and luscious lips as they mumbled along with the song playing on the ipod in her ears. They were slightly damp after draining her water moments before. His eyes were mesmerised as her tongue gently traced a trail along her bottom lip. His gaze moved downward taking in her slender and elegant fingers tapping the bottle in time with the music. He could tell it was an upbeat song. Sarah always liked dance or pop music.

Following the movement of her left hand he watched as she gently rubbed the back of her neck. He stared at her breast rising and falling with every breath she took. He couldn’t wait until she was his again.

She had finally reached the fountain. She leaned over slightly angling the bottle so that it would fill faster. Once full she took a quick drink screwed the cap back on and walked off towards the lockers to collect her things. He followed her at a distance so he would not be noticed by her or anyone else. As he waited for her to emerge from the lockers he pretended to look at some of the brochures offered by the gym. One eye on the locker area and one eye on the brochure he suddenly got a troubled feeling run through him.

Turning his attention away from waiting for the object of his desire he looked towards the main entrance. A man roughly the same height as himself had just come in the door. He had dark hair and eyes, what appeared to be a 5 o’clock shadow, and was wearing a dark suit with the flashiest tie he had ever seen. He wasn’t scared this man. He knew that he would be taking Sarah home today. No. What worried him was the badge on the man’s hip.

Hearing the locker door open he was shaken from the tall brooding cop. He saw that Sarah had emerged and headed to the back stairs leading to the parking garage he knew she had parked in. he slowly walked behind her. Far enough away to keep her from panicking but close enough to catch her if she did and ran.

Silently he reached into his jacket pocket to get the can he had hidden there. He listened to the soft thudding noise her shoes made on the paved garage waiting for the perfect moment to approach her. He tugged his baseball cap down further over his brow. He didn’t want to accidentally blind himself after all.

Coming closer to the spot he had picked out earlier he moved closer to her taking his hand with the small can out of his pocket. He waited for her to stop. He knew she would stop. She always stopped besides he had done this with her four other times, although he only counted three times really. That last one had been a mistake. He hadn’t been expecting Sarah to fight him like that. It was too bad to. He didn’t get to show her what he wanted from her. She had made him so mad that he had just acted on instinct and rage. And then he had heard another voice in the garage and panic had set in.

Ahead of him Sarah stopped. This is what he had been waiting for. As soon as she turned he was ready for her and sprayed her in the face. He watched as she gagged on the mist he had sent in her direction. Her hand clutched at her throat and mouth trying to get her body to take deeper breaths while trying to wipe away the cause of her current trouble with breathing. Slowly she crumpled to the ground gasping for air, her hand trying to wipe off the pepper spray residue but only managing to spread it more. He always felt a thrill shoot up his spine watching her react this way. He was lucky that he managed to get her to collapse so close to his truck. It meant that he didn’t have to go far for the plastic ties and drugs he had waiting for him.

Reaching into his glove compartment he took out the previously filled syringe with the tranquilizer. He injected the needle into her arm as she still lay gasping for air. As he waited for the drugs to take affect he tied her hands and feet with the plastic ties, then placed a gag in her mouth just in case she found the energy to scream. When he had finished putting her into the covered dump of his truck he was pleased to not that he had managed to capture her relatively quickly compared to previous times he caught her.

He climbed into the driver’s side of the cab. He had a feeling it would work out better this time. This time he wouldn’t be forced to show her what she would be missing. He knew she was going to appreciate what he had done for her, and everything that he was going to have to do to her later to get her to understand him better. It was her fault that he had to do these things anyway.

Turning the ignition he started thinking about all the fun they were going to have together. Nothing was too good for his Sarah. That’s why he had specially designed that place for her. For them. Sarah was his world and he intended on proving it to her this time or however many more times it took to get it right. He wasn’t going to let her down. He was going to show her how strong a man he could be for her.