Regaurding Parker- Sequel to "25...Words" - Angst - T/M by Meegs82 Posted 12/01/2008

Posted 12/01/2008

Alright, peeps, here is the sequel to "25 Simple Words." Please read, review, and ENJOY!!!
*****************************************************************
CHAPTER 1

“Yes, I realize that, but how did he just disappear? Kids don’t just go poof!” Booth shouted into his phone.

He and Brennan were sitting in seats 13A and 13B (not the lucky row), waiting on the tarmac for the remaining 2 planes in front of them to take off. It was now nearly 3:45 and they still hadn’t left. At this rate, they could have kept their 4:17 flight.

Booth had gotten in touch with Cullen immediately, who informed Booth that Parker had disappeared from the carousel at his favorite amusement park around 12 noon D.C. time, nearly 7 hours earlier. He had been there with his nanny as Rebecca and Drew were both at work and with Parker out of school for the summer, he loved to go to the park.

Brennan’s mind was racing and she didn’t know what to do for Booth. Booth’s shock had worn off approximately 2 minutes after it had begun and from there, he had moved on to sheer rage. Brennan’s heart was breaking for him, but all she could do was be supportive. She had called Angela and told her and the team what had happened. Brennan sent Zack over to the park to collect any evidence that he possibly could to help find Parker faster. Zack had reminded her that he wasn’t “dealing with a body,” and he didn’t know what he could do. Brennan promptly snapped at him and told him to do his job.

Everyone was doing their jobs, but the one man who should be there on top of it all was sitting on a plane in the middle of the desert, unable to move because excessive heat had overheated some of the planes. Brennan could not help but feel guilty. He was there because of HER. If he hadn’t come out there, maybe Parker wouldn’t have gone to the park; maybe Parker would have been with his dad, safe and sound. Brennan watched Booth as he continued to shout into his phone. Who he was talking to at this point, she didn’t even know.

“I expect to be FULLY involved when I get back to D.C. I don’t care if you have to-“

“Excuse me, sir. You have to turn your phone off. We’re getting ready to take off,” a brunette flight attendant with a bun informed Booth.

Booth turned his head toward the woman, his eyes fixated on her, his lips tightened. The woman flinched and swallowed.

“I’m sorry, sir, but-“

“He’ll be off before we take off, I can assure you,” Brennan cut in, saving the woman from a likely verbal beating.

She nodded at Brennan and turned on her heel.

Brennan looked at Booth, sympathetically.

“Look, you can’t tell me I’m too close to this case. HE’S MY SON!!!” Booth bellowed into the phone. Heads turned and nearly everyone in the plane was now looking over at Booth and Brennan, whispering. “Yeah, you do that…and fast.”

Booth slammed his phone shut, gripping it tightly as his knuckles turned white.

The flight attendant returned. “Sir, is there a problem?” she asked, condescendingly.

“Yes, there is. My son has been kidnapped and I’m trying to get home to find him and I’m stuck on a plane in the middle of the desert and you keep asking me questions. So, I’d say there’s a huge problem,” Booth told the woman, glaring at her, unflinching.

Brennan sighed and leaned forward. “If you could just give us some privacy. I apologize for the yelling,” Brennan told her.

The flight attendant nodded her head and gave Booth a sympathetic look before sheepishly walking away.

Booth swiped his hand across his face, leaning back into the seat, his fist still tightly clenched around his phone, which was still turned on.

“Booth, here, hand me your phone,” Brennan said as calmly as she possibly could.

Without looking at her, he relinquished the phone. She took it and turned it off, slipping it into her purse. She glanced back over at him. She wanted to cry for him, but she couldn’t.

“Maybe they’ll know more by the time we get home,” Brennan offered, trying to stay positive.

“Yeah,” Booth replied without really listening.

“Booth, I have no idea what you’re going through right now, but you know I want to help in any way I can. You have to let me in here. I know that you’re angry right now and that’s completely normal in this phase of a kidnapping situation-“

“He’s my son!” Booth yelled at Brennan.

Brennan’s eyes flinched and she leaned back toward the window. She hadn’t even realized how her words must have sounded to him. She was simply thinking of the thought process one goes through in this type of situation. But this was Booth…the man she loved. This wasn’t a normal kidnapping situation…this was Parker. And she was a part of it.

“I’m sorry,” Brennan said, closing her eyes for a moment and then reopening them. “I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”

Booth turned away from her and rested his head against the seat. He closed his eyes and after a few moments, he turned back towards Brennan. “I know you’re not being insensitive. I’m…just-“ Booth tried to find the words for what he was feeling, but there weren’t any.

“I know,” Brennan said as she put her hand on his. “We’re in this together…as always,” she told him.

Booth sighed and looked over at her. “Thank you,” he said as he gave her hand a squeeze.

“You don’t have to thank me, Booth. It’s what we do, right? We’ll find him,” Brennan said.

Booth nodded. *This is going to be the longest flight of my life*
*****************************************************************
I know, it's short. But more soon 'cuz it's all finished!

Posted 13/01/2008 00:27:48 AM

fanofbones

OMG....I love this already....love Bren comforting Booth for a change...and Booth's lucky they didn't toss his ass off the plane like they do today when someone's upset...
OMG poor Parker and poor Booth...
Love this and love you girl...
and 13 is not unlucky I'll have you know..
I got married on friday the 13th...31 years ago...yes...its the same mr. fab....
hugs woman

fab

Posted 13/01/2008 01:03:16 AM

Meegs82

Well, ya know, it's traditionally "unlucky." Thanks for the review!

Posted 13/01/2008 05:19:29 AM

CheeseBK

oh...... poor booth... and little parker....

Posted 13/01/2008 03:27:58 PM

phoebsfan

yay. I was falling asleep last night and couldn't make it through without missing things so I came back today to reread and leave you a note...

I'm on the edge of my seat, poor parker... poor Booth... Maybe they should stop letting him play at that park? Apparently it's not a safe place for him.

Anyway, can't wait for more.

Posted 13/01/2008 04:54:22 PM

Meegs82

And here we are with the next chapter:
*****************************************************************
CHAPTER 2

It WAS the longest flight of his life. The plane landed at midnight in Washington, D.C. Brennan had already arranged for their luggage to be transported to the Jeffersonian so they wouldn’t have to wait at baggage claim. As soon as the plane had landed, Booth was on his cell phone to Cullen and Brennan was on her phone to Angela. Zack hadn’t found anything at the crime scene. There were no new leads from Cullen. Nobody had gotten anywhere in the past 5 hours and this fact was pissing Booth off.

“Dammit!” Booth shouted as he slammed a hand on Brennan’s Mercedes door. Normally, he would be antagonizing her for leaving her Mercedes in long term parking, but today was anything but normal.

“Did you have the case transferred over to you?” Brennan asked him.

“Cullen won’t do it. He says I’m too close,” Booth replied through gritted teeth as he climbed in the passenger seat.

“Well, you kind of are…too close,” Brennan tried to inform him.

He glared over at her. “You of all people should know how hard-“

“I know it’s hard. All I’m saying is that there’s a reason family members aren’t supposed to be involved in an investigation. All of the details could impair your judgment because of your relationship to the victim-” Brennan stopped herself, unable to believe what she had just said. She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Booth’s eyes fell upon her, a vacant glare resting in them. After a few moments of horrific silence, Brennan opened her eyes and made herself look at him.

“I’m not being a very good girlfriend, am I?” she asked, a quiver in her voice, her brow furrowed. “Booth, I’m sorry. I’m just not used to any of this couple stuff anyway and now with everything…” her voice trailed off and she looked away again.

Booth held his gaze, but his expression softened. “Bones, I know. It’s okay, alright? Just knowing that you’re helping makes me feel better,” he reassured her.

She looked back over at him, her eyes teary. “You shouldn’t be soothing me, I should be soothing you. I can’t even do that,” Brennan said as she wiped her eyes. After a moment, she shifted her attitude toward one of action. “Where to first? The Jeffersonian?” she asked Booth.

“I think that’s the best place to be right now since I can’t do anything at the FBI,” Booth replied.

“Alright,” she responded as she backed her car out of the parking space and floored it out of the parking lot.
************************************************************************
Brennan must have been going 25 miles over the speed limit because they reached the Jeffersonian in record time. Angela was waiting for them when they walked in.

“Sweetie, hi,” she said as she gave Brennan a hug. She had planned on having champagne and caviar and a huge smile plastered on her face upon their arrival. She had never planned on this. “Booth, I’m so sorry,” she said, giving Booth a hug as well.

“Thanks, Angela,” he said as he started to pull out of her hug. Angela didn’t budge. Booth placed his hands back around her and she squeezed. He tried again to pull out of her hug…and again, he failed.

“Ang, why don’t we give Booth some space,” Brennan said, grabbing Angela’s arm and practically ungluing it from Booth’s body.

Angela’s face was splotched with tears. “Right, space. Sorry,” Angela replied.

“Zack didn’t find anything?” Brennan asked Angela.

“No. Your nanny said that Parker didn’t have anything with him; she had just brought him, knowing that Drew would pick him up at the park. She’s in really bad shape, she keeps blaming herself,” Angela told Booth and Brennan as they walked towards Brennan’s office.

“Yeah, Cullen told me she was taking it pretty hard. Are they still holding her? I can’t believe I have to get my information from a squint,” Booth said, irritated, as he stopped and rubbed his forehead.

“They’re shutting you out, huh?” Angela said, ignoring the squint comment.

“Yeah, pretty much. But they don’t even have anything. How can they not have ANY evidence?” Booth asked aloud. “Why isn’t there a ransom note or something? Huh? This doesn’t make any sense! People don’t just take kids, they have a reason for it. If the guy wants money, he’ll get money!” Booth yelled as they reached Brennan’s office. He threw his hands on top of his head and began pacing Brennan’s office.

Brennan held back from saying the most rational comment about the situation (which was if at this point there was no ransom note, the likelihood of the child being alive was not good). She shoved the thought from her mind and instead, she stepped towards Booth and placed her hands on his elbows, which were in the air above his head.

“Can you stop pacing and sit down?” Brennan asked him, calmly. He immediately stopped walking and dropped his hands. “You need to call Rebecca,” Brennan reminded him.

“Rebecca, right. I don’t have anything to tell her because the FBI won’t let me know about my own son’s kidnapping!” Booth exclaimed.

“I know, but she needs to know that you’re home,” Brennan reasoned with him.

He nodded and stepped away, taking his cell phone out of his pocket.

Angela watched this interaction with great interest.

“Wow, he actually listened to your reasoning. And your rationale actually helped the situation. What did sex do to you?” Angela said, quite impressed.

“Ang! This is really serious,” Brennan reminded her best friend.

“Trust me, sweetie, I had hoped to be discussing all of the naughty, dirty details right now instead of figuring out how to catch Parker’s kidnapper. All I meant was that you two really seem in sync and I thought it was sweet. I can tell you’re glowing even under the circumstances,” Angela replied.

Brennan looked intently at her friend. “I am happy. It was amazing, Ang. But…I just can’t believe all of this. I don’t know what to do for him. I feel so helpless,” Brennan confided.

“Sweetie, you don’t have to DO anything. Just be there and try not to be too…logical. Which you’re doing a very good job of, by the way,” Angela commended Brennan.

“Thanks. It’s only because I already messed up a few times. I referred to Parker as the victim. I’m telling you, Ang, I wanted to die after I said that,” Brennan said.

“He understands. He’s Booth and you’re you,” Angela told her.

Booth returned from the other part of the office. “They just got back a little while ago from FBI headquarters. We’ll meet up with them in the morning,” Booth explained.

“Well, I better be getting home. I MADE Jack go home an hour ago. I told him there wasn’t anything he could do. He told me to tell you he’ll do anything you need him to…including breaking any and every law,” Angela told Booth.

“Tell him thanks,” Booth said.

“I’ll see you two early in the morning,” Angela hugged Brennan and kissed Booth on the cheek.

“Bye, Ang,” Brennan waved to her.

Booth fell into the sofa as soon as Angela left. Brennan took her place next to him.

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here doing nothing,” Booth said, staring into the air above him.

“There’s nothing you can do, Booth,” Brennan informed him.

“I know, but there should be, you know?” he looked over at her, his head resting on the back of the couch. “That’s what I do. I do things. I make things happen, I find the bad guys. Right now, I can’t even think of what to do,” he explained.

“We,” Brennan said.

“What?” Booth asked.

“We do things. We make things happen and we find the bad guys. And we will find the bad guys,” Brennan told him as she took his hand. “We’ll find Parker.”

Booth gave a half-smile. “Right. We,” he said. Brennan ran a hand through his hair, her heart breaking because she didn’t know what to do either.

“Your place or mine?” Brennan broke the silence.
*****************************************************************
More later! Thanks for the reviews!

Posted 13/01/2008 08:41:40 PM

fanofbones

awesome chapter there.....I'm waiting for Booth to take a step back and start thinking like a cop.....he's right...that is what he's best at.....although, pent up stressed out Booth always comes off sexy in my book...so all is good...I loved Ang not letting him go...I'm a hugger myself, so I completely understand that....
loved it and more please

fab

Posted 13/01/2008 09:02:20 PM

jerseybones

ok read chapter 1. gosh meegs, sweetie couldn't you have let them enjoy the beginning of their new relationship for a little while before throwing the angst their way? the story is really well written and powerful i just always feel so bad for an upset booth.

thanks for letting me know you posted this.

Posted 13/01/2008 09:41:26 PM

jerseybones

i know it's not intended, but that last line was a woohoo moment. "Your place or mine?" YES!

I know there's a lot going on but that would put a smile back on booth's face for a short time and a smile on all of ours for a hell of a long time.

Posted 14/01/2008 00:02:04 AM

DBAngelfan

ack more more more!

Posted 14/01/2008 05:54:56 AM

CheeseBK

oh, more soon please!!!!!

Posted 14/01/2008 07:56:57 PM

Meegs82

Thanks, my dears! Now it gets interesting. Here ya go:
*****************************************************************
CHAPTER 3

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain was beating against the windows and the wind was howling. The weather fit the mood perfectly. If there was ever a bigger cliché, Brennan wouldn’t have known it. She lay awake in her bed, the shadows of the blinds falling across her face and the beads of the rain trickling down. She turned over on her left side and stared at Booth. By 3am, she had finally convinced him to take a rather large sleeping pill after much reluctance on his part. He had told her he was too wound up to sleep even with a sleeping pill and that it was useless. But about 15 minutes after he had swallowed that white pill, he was out. He hadn’t even had time to take his clothes off before crashing on Brennan’s bed. She had managed to take his socks and pants off and get him under the covers before crawling in next to him.

It was now 5:42 and Brennan hadn’t slept at all. She was going over scenarios in her head about who could possibly have Parker and why. She had been through every logical kidnapping scenario, but there had been no ransom note left and that was the most common situation. She kept telling herself to give it time, but what if they didn’t have time? None of this made sense; none of it was rational…and her mind could not handle that.

She watched him breathing. Every 30 seconds or so, his brow would furrow and his eyes would squeeze tighter, telling Brennan he was most likely not sleeping very well…but at least he was sleeping. He was going to need it. Brennan knew that she wouldn’t sleep, but she was used to that. All she wanted was to take his pain away. She couldn’t even imagine what he was feeling, although right now, she figured it was mostly anger. He was using rage to cover his anguish, which was a common anthropological defense system. She thought about Parker and how scared he must be at this very moment. *Try not to think about that* she rationalized with herself.

Brennan sighed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She lay in the same position, unmoving for a while until she heard sounds coming from Booth. She turned to him and placed her hand on his head, trying to calm him down. He was now shifting in bed, his brow completely furrowed, groans emitting from his mouth. A split second later, he shot up in bed.

“Parker!” Booth cried out. He was breathing rapidly and sweat was dripping down his face.

Brennan was right by his side. “Booth, it’s okay. Hey, it’s okay,” she told him calmly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Still nearly hyperventilating, Booth turned to look at her. It took him a few moments to get reoriented and he remembered he was in Brennan’s apartment and he had taken a sleeping pill. His mouth was parched and he swallowed hard.

“I’ve got to do something. I can’t just sleep,” Booth said as he started to get out of bed.

“Booth, there’s nothing to do right now. Just lie back with me, come on,” Brennan tried to reason with him as she gently pressed on his upper torso.

“What time is it?” Booth asked.

“Not quite 6. I was going to wake you soon, but I wanted you to sleep as long as possible,” Brennan told him.

“I can’t sleep while he’s got him! We have to find him. He’s got Parker,” Booth said through tear-filled eyes, pleading to Brennan. “We have to get to him and bring him home.”

Brennan’s own eyes filled with tears. “I know this is hard, Booth. But…hey, look at me,” Brennan said calmly as she placed her hands on either side of his face and turned his head towards hers. “You know I’m right here next to you through all of this, right? I want to be involved in every part of this. We’ll bring Parker home, okay?” Brennan told him in the calmest and most soothing tone she could muster to keep him from breaking down.

Booth stared into her eyes, fighting back the tears. He placed his right hand on top of hers and took it and kissed her palm. “I know. I don’t know if I could get through this without you,” he told her.

A tear fell from Brennan’s eyes as she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. “I’ll make some coffee while you take a shower. And then we can go get your car.”

“I want to head over to the Hoover building and talk to Cullen. He said he’d let me know the details,” Booth said as he got out of bed.

“Can’t he get fired for that?” Brennan asked.

“Yeah, he can,” Booth said plainly.

Brennan nodded slightly as she put her robe on. “Coffee and shower,” she said.

She kissed him on the cheek as she walked out of the bedroom, leaving him standing there for a moment, staring down at his Daffy Duck boxers, wondering where his pants had gone.
************************************************************************
Brennan arrived at the Jeffersonian just after 7:00. She had dropped Booth off at his car and he had headed for FBI headquarters. Rebecca and Drew were going to meet him there at 8:00 and Brennan didn’t want to be in the way, so she thought it would be best if she went into work early.

The only other people at the Jeffersonian this early were security guards. She flipped on the lights as she walked into the lab and headed for her office. As she approached the office, she saw a fairly large, padded envelope taped to her door. She squinted at it, her brow furrowed. In large black letters, it read:

ATTN: Dr. Temperance Brennan
Regarding Parker Booth

She tore it off of the door and went to her desk, ripping it open as she walked. As she sat in her chair, she pulled out a packet of paper and a small digital voice recorder. She set the recorder down and began to read the top piece of paper. It was typed and read:

“Dearest Dr. Brennan,

By now you are home from your sunny desert vacation and are aware of the situation regarding Parker Booth. VERY well aware, I am sure. I have him with me as I write this. Not to worry, he is quite alright…for now. He will stay that way as long as you comply with my requests. Now, I know that you will show this letter to Special Agent Seeley Booth immediately, so I am not even going to ask you not to. But seeing how Agent Booth has been taken off of his son’s kidnapping case, I must demand that you not share this letter with the FBI. If you do, I will know about it. If you try to trace this letter or find out how it got on your office door, I will know. So, I wouldn’t try anything if I were you. Trust me, you do not want to experience the consequences. I also expect that the other members of your team will be in on this as well. As far as the mother and stepfather go, tell them what you will. I cannot stop you from sharing with them, but if ANY one of you goes to the FBI with this…Parker Booth will not make it back home. I hope I have made myself clear.

I have included pictures of Miss Montenegro, Dr. Hodgins, Dr. Saroyan, and Dr. Addy just so you know that I know who they are and what they look like.

Now, as I mentioned above, I have certain requests for you. Yes, that’s right, Dr. Brennan, these requests are for you and you alone. You may be asking yourself right now why I would take your boyfriend’s son and then demand things of you. It’s quite simple, really. I want to see you suffer. That’s all. The details of my first request are written below:

6:00 tonight, you will come to the corner of Washington and 72nd with exactly $25,000 in cash. The money must be withdrawn at 12:00 noon from your bank account, Dr. Brennan. NO ONE ELSE can supply the money. I will know exactly when you withdraw the money, so do not try anything. You will leave the money in the trash can on the corner. I will provide proof of life and you will leave. You MUST come alone and you must leave immediately. I will know if someone has come with you or if you do not leave.

You will receive another letter tomorrow with a new request. It may not be on your office door, but you will know when you see it. Once you have complied with all of my requests, I will release Parker Booth. Until then, do EXACTLY as you are told…or bear the consequences.

Kindest Regards,

K

P.S. The voice recorder will provide proof of life.”

Brennan’s hands were shaking by the time she had finished reading. She slowly set the piece of paper down and focused her eyes on the voice recorder. She pressed the play button: “Daddy and Dr. Breman, I’m okay. The man told me to tell you that. Daddy, I’m scared.” That was it. Brennan replayed the message. Parker’s voice was shaky and he started to cry in the end. Brennan felt like throwing up…and she did. She leaned over to her side and threw up in the trash can. She slowly sat back up, freezing in her spot, tears streaming down her cheeks. *Why did this man want things from her?* It didn’t matter. If $25,000 was what he wanted, then that’s what he was going to get.

Angela’s head popped into Brennan’s office. “Morning, sweet-“ Angela stopped short as she saw the look on Brennan’s face. “Oh my God, what’s wrong?” she asked, walking towards the desk.

Brennan looked up at Angela and handed her the letter. Angela’s expression quickly changed as her eyes flew across the paper. Her jaw dropped and tears formed in her eyes. Brennan watched her and as she finished reading, Brennan handed her the recorder. Angela played it and placed her hand over her mouth.

Hodgins walked in a moment later. “Hi, Dr. Bren-“ he stopped as both women were now crying. “What happened? Is it Parker?” he asked, worried.

Angela handed him the letter and the recorder, unable to speak.

“I-I’ve got to call Booth,” Brennan said as she stood up, wiping her eyes. “He has to know. He’s meeting with Rebecca and Drew in a little while. They should know, too.”

“Why does this ‘K’ want your money? What do you have to do with this?” Hodgins asked, confused.

“I don’t know. But, he wants $25,000 withdrawn at 12:00 today and I have to make sure that happens. Hodgins, can you start analyzing the paper, see if there’s anything on it that you can trace? Lint, dirt, dust mites, I don’t care, just find something,” Brennan said as she walked to her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

Angela was still standing in the same spot with her hand over her mouth.

“Of course,” Hodgins replied.

Brennan was about to dial when she realized that Angela had not moved. “Ang?” she asked softly, placing her hand on Angela’s shoulder.

Angela slowly removed her hand from her mouth. “He’s just a little boy. He said he was scared. It’s probably dark and cold,” Angela said, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Brennan looked to Hodgins, who was already handling the situation. “We’re going to find him, alright? Come on, you can help me look for dirt and lint, okay?” Hodgins said as he guided Angela out of the office. Brennan looked at him as if to say thanks.

She had Booth on the phone within seconds. “You have to come down here…now.”
*****************************************************************
So, what'dya think? Lemme know!

Posted 14/01/2008 10:01:49 PM

fanofbones

OMG....that was the saddest little voice...I could just hear him....wow..this is going to be sad, I can tell....
My mind is running a million miles a minute trying to pick up on clues and figure out what SOB did this....
this is awesome sweetie.....love it....

fab

Posted 15/01/2008 01:13:37 AM

DBAngelfan

more more more!

Posted 15/01/2008 03:59:04 AM

CheeseBK

oh, poor parker.... please post soon!!!

Posted 16/01/2008 00:22:04 AM

Meegs82

The fans want more, eh? Alright, here ya go:
*****************************************************************
CHAPTER 4

“You can’t go alone,” Cam told Brennan.

“I have to. You read what he wrote. It has to be my money and I am the only one who can be there,” Brennan replied.

“There has to be some way to track you or the money without him knowing,” Cam pondered, leaning against Brennan’s desk.

“I can be the tracker. I’m good at tracking,” Hodgins offered.

“No, you’re not. You stick out like a sore thumb,” Angela replied, walking past him as she paced. Hodgins narrowed his eyes and shut up.

“We can’t risk it. We have to do exactly what he says. That’s the most rational thing to do. When you comply with kidnappers, they almost always return the child,” Brennan explained.

Booth sat on the sofa, clutching the voice recorder in his hand, listening to all of them, but not uttering a sound.

“Almost is the key word in that sentence,” Cam said. “How do we know that this ‘K’ actually knows how to make sure you’re alone?”

“How do we know that he doesn’t?” Angela said. “And how did he get this note into the Jeffersonian? There are security guards everywhere.”

“He probably paid one of them to deliver it,” Hodgins replied.

“It doesn’t matter, I have to do this,” Brennan replied.

Cam sighed.

“What about a dog?” Zack asked, looking as if a light bulb had just illuminated above his head.

All of their heads turned towards him, stares of confusion appearing on their faces.

“What?” Cam asked.

“They have dogs that are trained in tracking money and other things. I have a friend who trains them. You put the smell of something that the dog likes on the money or person and then the dog tracks it,” Zack explained, very proud of himself.

“Wait, you have friends?” Hodgins asked.

Zack glared at him for a moment. “It’s actually fairly effective. All we need to do-“

“NO!” Brennan’s voice echoed throughout the office. “We have to play by his rules, at least for now. Hodgins didn’t find anything on the note, it’s clean, so we have no tangible evidence. He knows what all of you look like and he wants me alone. I’m going...period,” Brennan said defiantly as she stood to address them all.

“Why aren’t you protesting to this?” Cam turned her attention to Booth.

He hesitated for a moment before rising from the couch. “Because she’s right.”

Cam stared at him in disbelief, thinking that he would have been on the phone to Cullen in an instant.

“If he has ways to detect certain things, then we can’t risk it. We don’t know enough about this guy yet. And he has my son,” Booth replied as he looked sternly at Cam. She looked away and backed down. “I’ll pay you back, Bones.”

That thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. “You think this is about money, Booth?” she asked in disbelief. “Come on, we should get to the bank,” she said as she glanced at the clock: 9:56.

“I thought you didn’t have to withdraw the money until noon,” Zack said, confused.

Booth simply glared at him as he and Brennan left the office.
************************************************************************
“I don’t want you to have to do this,” Booth told Brennan, a hint of a “but” in his voice.

“But you know I have to,” Brennan added, looking at him.

“I really will pay you back,” Booth told her.

“Booth, will you stop saying that? The money doesn’t matter, you know that,” Brennan replied.

“You remember everything I taught you about how to detect if someone’s following you?” Booth asked her.

“Yes, Booth. You practically drilled it into my head after the gravedigger incident,” Brennan replied.

“Well, it’s important. I want you to be careful tonight. Just do everything he told you to do and get the hell out of there. And then you come straight home to me, okay?” Booth instructed her as they sat at their favorite table at the Royal Diner. He had wanted some time just with her and away from the team before going to the bank. Brennan knew that and that’s why they had left when they did.

“Booth, I know. It’s going to be alright,” she reassured him. “What I don’t understand is why he won’t give me Parker after I give him the money. This is a ransom note, right?”

“Apparently, he wants more. And from you, which I don’t understand,” Booth said, confused.

“Everything seems to be about me with this man,” Brennan added.

Booth’s confusion dissipated for a moment and he got an idea. “Bones, do you think this guy could be your stalker?” he asked.

She considered it for a moment. “It’s entirely possible. He knew about Phoenix, he knows that we’re together. But we can’t assume anything like that yet. Like you said, we don’t know enough about him.”

Booth sighed and leaned back in his chair. “What am I going to tell Rebecca?” he pondered.

Brennan had asked herself the same question after reading the letter for the first time. “How is she doing?”

“She’s a mess. Her psychiatrist has her on some pretty high-powered medications, so she was pretty out of it this morning. All she did was cry. Drew’s taking good care of her, though,” Booth replied.

“How are you doing?” she asked the question she had been wanting to ask all morning.

He looked at her. “Okay given the circumstances,” he replied. “Bones, just please, be careful tonight, okay? I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because of this.”

“Booth, I’m the reason this is happening, apparently. He’s trying to get to me and he’s using Parker. I’m the reason for this and if something happens to Parker, I won’t be able to live with MYself,” Brennan told him. She still couldn’t believe it…that this guy would attempt to get to her by kidnapping an innocent child. The thought sent chills up her spine…but it was the reality they were faced with and she had to deal with it. And if that meant doing everything the kidnapper asked, then so be it.

Booth gazed at the woman in front of him for a few moments, unable to believe what she was about to do…for him…for his son. He didn’t know how he should feel; his emotions were all jumbled up. All he knew was that he loved her and he loved Parker.

He reached across the table and took Brennan’s hand. “Thank you.”

Brennan was not going to even address his comment. “It’s nearly 11, we should get going,” was all she said.
************************************************************************
They sat in the car outside of the bank, waiting until the exact time. The clock changed to 11:55 and Brennan looked over at Booth before opening the car door and stepping out. She walked briskly into the bank, small duffle bag in hand, and made her way to one of the tellers.

“May I help you?” the teller “Julie” asked.

“Yes, I’d like to make a withdrawal,” Brennan replied.

“Alright, just fill out this form,” Julie replied.

Brennan couldn’t help but glance around her to see if anyone was watching. She proceeded to fill out the form. She handed it over to Julie as she glanced at her watch: 11:58.

“Alright, I just need to see your ID,” Julie said before looking at the form. Brennan gave her her driver’s license. Julie looked down at the form. “I’m sorry, you want cash?” she asked.

“Yes,” Brennan replied.

“Okay, how would you like it? 100s? 50s?” Julie asked.

“It doesn’t matter, I just need it now,” Brennan replied, hurriedly.

“Okay, Dr. Brennan, it will be one minute.” Julie disappeared.

Brennan stood, shifting her weight nervously. 11:59. *Come on* she thought, looking for Julie. She reappeared a minute later. She laid out the money in stacks on the counter, counting in 100s and 50s. 12:00.

“Thank you,” Brennan replied as she stuffed the bills into the bag. Julie eyed her warily. As she zipped up the bag, her cell phone rang. The word “unknown” flashed across the screen. “Brennan.”

“Very good, Dr. Brennan. I will see you at 6:00,” the voice was garbled and the line went dead.
*****************************************************************
There ya go! Hope you like! More tomorrow!

Posted 16/01/2008 01:15:45 AM

DBAngelfan

you better post more!

Posted 16/01/2008 02:42:01 PM

fanofbones

Holy crap...I'm holding my breath here....
marvelous chapter sweetie...

fab

Posted 16/01/2008 04:49:11 PM

jerseybones

So the mysterious kidnapper is "K" and you foreshadowed...or did you? Interesting.

Posted 16/01/2008 05:00:57 PM

jerseybones

poor booth being torn like that. he loves them both. can't we make him happy again.

Posted 17/01/2008 00:36:30 AM

Meegs82

Foreshadowing, you say, jb? Hmmm...I don't know, you'll just have to read to find out. And here is the last chapter for a few days 'cuz I am off in the morning FOR L.A.!!!!! Yup, we are finally heading out tomorrow and we will get there on Friday, but I don't know when we will be able to get cable and internet installed. So, it'll be a few days.

Luv u all and talk to u soon! ENJOY!!!
*****************************************************************
CHAPTER 5

5:50. Booth was sick to his stomach. He paced Brennan’s apartment. He had gotten off the phone with Rebecca about an hour earlier. Against his better judgment, he had told her that a ransom note had been found and that things were being put in place to handle the situation. She was Parker’s mother and she deserved to know something. She had immediately started crying, asking him if he needed money and that she would help. He reassured her that it was taken care of. He neglected to mention that they would not be getting Parker back when the money was delivered. *The less she knows, the better* he had thought. He told her he would call with more information.

5:52. Now, he could not even believe he had agreed to let Brennan go through with this. How could he put her in danger like that? How could he let her do this? And then he thought, *Who am I kidding? This is Bones we’re talking about* She would have insisted that she go through with everything even if he had tried to talk her out of it. As things were, they had no other choice. The kidnapper had already proved that he could track Brennan after the phone call he had made at the bank. *Let’s just get through this* he thought as he paced.

5:54. She was probably getting close to the drop spot. Hopefully, she would be in and out in under 3 minutes. “K” said he would “provide proof of life” so she would get to see Parker. *Parker* Booth stopped pacing and thought of his little boy, his dark blonde ringlets, his adorable smile. He was his buddy. A tear fell from Booth’s eyes and he brushed it away, pushing the thought of his son in the hands of a psychopath out of his mind and focusing back on the task at hand.

5:56. He knew she would be okay. He just knew it. She was Bones, after all. But he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and in the back of his mind that this wasn’t even close to being over. She had gotten the money and she was now on her way to deliver it and still, he didn’t know when he would see his son. If only he could let Cullen know under the radar. *No! If “K” finds out, he’ll kill Parker* he yelled at himself.

“Dammit!” Booth yelled aloud, slamming the wall with his fist, which he then shook as he winced in pain. He collapsed onto the sofa, the anxiety rising in his chest. He swiped his hand across his face and tried to focus. She would call him as soon as she was on her way home. *Just wait until then*

5:59. *She’s there by now* His breath caught in his throat and he didn’t let it out for probably a good 30 seconds. The two most important people in his life were on the line right now and all he could do was sit on Brennan’s couch and wait.

6:00
************************************************************************
Brennan approached the corner of Washington and 72nd, duffle bag in hand. She glanced around her, searching for anything out of the ordinary. There was still a good 3 hours of daylight left and there were people walking and kids playing in a park across the street. She couldn’t help but look for Parker in the crowd of children. She knew she wouldn’t see him, but she had to look. She reached the trash can, looking to either side of her and across the street. She took the duffle bag and threw it in the trash…and waited.

Brennan’s cell phone rang a few seconds later.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hello there, Dr. Brennan. Thank you for the delivery. Now, as promised, I will give you proof of life. Look across the street to the park full of children,” the garbled voice instructed. Brennan looked over again at the crowd of children. “Right there under the monkey bars is your proof of life.” Brennan glanced frantically around. She looked and there was a full head of dark blonde ringlets sitting in the sand directly underneath the monkey bars. He was not playing, but he did not look hurt. “Alright, Dr. Brennan. Now, get in your car and leave. Oh, and I have jammed your cell phone signal just in case. You will hear from me tomorrow,” the garbled voice explained and the line went dead.

Brennan tried to dial Booth’s number, but all she heard was static.
******************************************************************************
It was 6:30 and he hadn’t heard from her. She had said that she would call as soon as she left. Booth was pacing again. He tried calling her 10 times, but all he got was her voicemail. *I shouldn’t have let her go. What if he has her too?* Booth was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when the door opened and Brennan walked in.

He practically ran to her and threw his arms around her, squeezing her with all of his heart. “You’re okay. Oh, thank God you’re okay,” he said as he held her. He did not want to let go.

“He jammed my cell signal. But I saw Parker,” Brennan said as she pulled out of the embrace. He kept one hand entwined with one of hers.

“How is he?” Booth asked, his eyes fraught with fear and anguish.

“He’s fine physically,” Brennan told Booth.

“Okay, so now all we have to do is wait for his next letter. Which should be in the morning, right?” Booth said quickly, still holding onto one of Brennan’s hands, the anxiety in his chest about to burst.

“He is very precise, so yes, probably around the same time,” Brennan said.

Booth squeezed her hand and looked at her with the utmost admiration. “Thank you,” he said.

“Booth, I told you, you don’t have to-“

“But I want to, okay? I didn’t want you to do this even for a minute. I was so worried when I hadn’t heard from you that-that he had taken you too. I love you, you know that, right?” Booth said, a tremble in his voice that reverberated throughout his body.

He was on the edge and she had to pull him back up. “Booth, of course I know that. We’re going to get through this, alright?” Brennan told him as she looked him right in the eyes. She placed her hand on his face and rubbed his temple. He closed his eyes and his breathing began to smooth out.

He opened his eyes and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could. She fell into his arms as he rubbed her back. She felt his body tremble and she held on tighter, trying to support him. His body shuddered again and it was only after the third tremor that she realized he was crying. She pulled back slowly and put her hands on his face again. She gently pulled his head towards her and kissed him on the forehead, her lips lingering as she closed her eyes and he stroked her arms. She pulled away and took his hand.

“Come on,” she said as she led him towards the bedroom.
*****************************************************************
And because I love you all SOOOOOOO much, here is the next chapter. So, really, you all get to enjoy Happy Hour: 2 for 1!
*****************************************************************
CHAPTER 6

“Just what in the hell is this about a ransom note?!” Cullen’s voice bellowed into the phone.

Booth groggily and gently got out of bed, trying not to wake Brennan. He opened and closed the bedroom door quietly. Once safely in the living room, he spoke. “What?”

“Rebecca just called me asking if we had any new leads on the ransom note. I told her there wasn’t a ransom note and she got hysterical, saying that you told her there was,” Cullen explained to Booth.

*Crap* “Sir, I was trying to calm her down and she wanted to know what was happening, so I just told her we had a new lead,” Booth stumbled over his words, secretly smacking himself for telling her. He hadn’t imagined she would call Cullen. “Why didn’t she call me?”

“She said she did, but you didn’t answer,” Cullen replied. “Now, Booth. Please tell me that there isn’t a ransom note that you are hiding from the FBI?”

Booth hesitated before speaking. “No sir, of course not. I just wanted Rebecca to believe that we were moving forward instead of being stuck where we are,” he explained, very rationally, to Cullen.

“Because you are bound by law to bring in any evidence regarding this case. And I wouldn’t want you to go out on your own without proper back-up,” Cullen told Booth.

“Yes sir, I know, sir,” Booth replied, desperately wanting to actually tell Cullen. He knew he could probably convince him to keep it under wraps, but at this point, it still wasn’t worth risking it. Nothing about that note could make it into evidence or he wouldn’t see Parker again…period.

“You let me know if you hear anything,” Cullen instructed. “And Booth?”

“Yes sir?”

“For future reference, don’t lie to your ex about the status of her son’s kidnapping. I don’t think it will help the situation. You need to stay sharp, okay?” Cullen instructed Booth in a fatherly tone.

“Will do, sir,” Booth replied as he quickly shut his phone. He sighed loudly, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling. What if the kidnapper had traces on their phones? What if he now knew that the FBI had gotten wind of the note? What if he didn’t let Parker go? Booth’s mind was racing. He checked his phone: 4 missed calls and all were from Rebecca. *Was I really that asleep?* He looked over at the clock: 10:14. He had actually gotten nearly 3 hours of sleep, which surprised even him. He started to pace again.

A moment later, a phone rang. Booth jumped at the sound. He looked over to the kitchen counter and saw that it was Brennan’s phone. He rushed to it, glancing at the caller ID “unknown” before picking up.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Agent Booth. I was expecting Dr. Brennan. You are a lucky man right now, Agent Booth. Lucky that you got Cullen to back down. You keep that ex of yours in line or your sweet little boy will be missing his fingers the next time you see him,” the garbled voice was menacing.

Booth didn’t even have a chance to protest before the line went dead. Within seconds, he had Rebecca on the phone.

“Rebecca, hi. I think there’s been some confusion.”
************************************************************************
“Look, I’m sorry, Rebecca. I don’t know what I was thinking, I just wanted you to be at ease,” Booth tried to explain.

“By telling me that there was a ransom note when there wasn’t?! How is lying to me going to help anything, Seeley?” she yelled at him.

“I don’t know, Rebecca! I’m going crazy here!” Booth screamed.

Brennan appeared in the living room. “What is going on?” she asked, concerned.

Booth looked over at her. “Sorry. I didn’t want to wake you,” Booth told her as he covered the speaker to the phone. Brennan could hear Rebecca’s voice from across the room.

“Are you listening to me, Seeley?” Rebecca asked. Brennan pointed to the phone.

Booth turned his attention back to his son’s mother. “Rebecca, just trust me, there is no ransom note, okay? Just make sure you get in touch with me before you talk to Cullen, alright?” Booth told her.

“I don’t know what to believe, Seeley. But okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night,” she finally surrendered.

“Good night, Rebecca,” Booth said as he hung up.

“How does she know about the note?” Brennan asked him.

“Because I sorta told her…when you were on your way to-“

“Booth!” Brennan snapped.

“I didn’t want her to worry and then freak out and call Cullen, so I told her there was a ransom note, but that it was being handled. I didn’t give her any details, so there was no way that ‘K’ would know. Except she tried calling me to ask about any leads and when she didn’t get a hold of me, she called Cullen,” Booth explained. “And then Cullen called me and that’s how I found out about all of this. I told him I made it all up, that I lied to Rebecca. And then, ‘K’ called your phone and told me to keep Rebecca in line,” Booth continued as he handed Brennan’s phone to her.

“He has a trace on my phone,” Brennan said matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, he does,” Booth replied.

“Do you think Cullen is satisfied with your story?” Brennan asked.

“Yeah, at least for now. I can’t stand waiting!” Booth exclaimed, beginning to pace again.

“Where do you think he’ll leave the next letter?” Brennan asked him.

“There’s no telling. But he won’t leave it at the Jeffersonian, it’s too risky,” Booth replied. Booth stopped pacing and sat on the sofa. He paused for a few long moments. “He said he’d cut off Parker’s fingers if…” his voice trailed off.

Brennan’s heart sank as she sat next to him. “That’s not going to happen. Whatever his ‘request’ is, it will get done and he won’t even have an excuse to touch Parker,” Brennan told Booth, ever so gently.

“I don’t know. I just have this funny feeling,” Booth tried to explain.

“Of course you have a ‘funny feeling,’ your son is missing. It’s understandable and it’s called anxiety,” Brennan explained rationally to him.

“I know. I just want all of this to be over and I want him home and I want you not to have to go through any of this. He made you pay $25,000 and we didn’t even get Parker back! Who knows what he’ll ask for next,” Booth was nearly foaming at the mouth as he stood up again.

Brennan stood with him. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it. We have to…for Parker. I’ll do whatever it takes, okay? You know that, right?” she asked as she grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

“Yeah, I know that, Bones,” he said, comforted by her voice.

She could not even begin to imagine what it would truly take to bring Parker home.
*****************************************************************
And that's all for now! See you all in a few days!

Posted 17/01/2008 02:09:29 AM

CheeseBK

oh, meegs, I love this!!! but poor parker!

Posted 17/01/2008 10:37:01 PM

fanofbones

OMG M-Dawg...I was yelling at the fucking words telling her to run for Parker and grab him...damn...can't believe we have to wait..
but.....whooooooooooohoooooooooooooooo for L.A. sweetie...loved happy hour and can't wait for you to get internet hookup....you should have ordered it early..you know..so the guy could meet you at your new place as soon as your car pulls up..WHAT?..oh well..
hope your trip is safe and fun....
Be sure and find Booth in L.A. and send pictures back to us as soon as computer is hooked up....k?

love and hugs woman
fab

Posted 18/01/2008 00:31:22 AM

DBAngelfan

argh don't leave us that long!

Posted 18/01/2008 06:00:03 PM

jerseybones

Two chapters in a row?!? Boy do you know how to spoil your fans. Thank you for that. But I have to ask, when are we going to make our poor Boothy Boo Boo Bear happy again?