Walk on the Wild Side (Rated T, BB, Undercover) - by Bertie456 Posted 11/01/2008 11:41:54 AM

CheeseBK

Posted 23/01/2008 06:09:47 AM

oh holy cow! BERTIE!!!! what did you do to bones?

ToZiKa


Posted 23/01/2008 11:43:47 AM


Why did you do that?
Everything seemed to be good and fluffy and now there is a lot of angst....
Booth should have taken her with him...
I can't believe you really did that. I hope you will make it better tomorrow!!!

fanofbones
Posted 23/01/2008 04:31:53 PM


OMG bertie...that was awesome....
and......and.....and.......CARDS? Are you kidding me? Thats all they could come up with....shit, where is angela when you need her!!! lol
This is brilliant and I'm edge of seat waiting

hugs sweetie
fab

miller0259
Posted 23/01/2008 11:08:57 PM

WHA-?!!?!?? YOU STOPPED THERE!!!!!!??

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't BELIEVE I hadn't found this story till now!!

My god, if I don't find out what happens next, INCREDIBLY FREAKING SOON, I'm going to snap!

Posted 24/01/2008 02:51:47 AM

cheese - Nothing too mean... I promise...
Toz - What can I say, I love angst. And you couldn't seriously expect it to be fluffy all the time.
fab - They're deep in denialville still, fab, so cards seemed like the best option. Writing loud obnoxious sex was tempting though, character progression be damned.
miller - *waves* Hi! Glad you're kinda enjoying it, even if it's a little cliffie-tastic at the moment. And is this INCREDIBLY FREAKING SOON enough for you?

Chapter 14 - In Too Deep

"You think I wouldn't find out you were spying on me?"

The shout echoed in Brennan's confused mind and she was unsure if she was dreaming still.

"You were lying from the beginning."

The voice continued and she wondered if he was talking to her.

"You're going to die for this."

Brennan briefly thought that she was dead, and that she was remembering the last thing she heard.

"I told you what would happen if you lied to me."

The fog in her brain began to clear slightly, enough so she could make out the sound of blows falling.

"And I'm going to make it slow and painful."

She heard muffled groans of pain and contemplated whether they were her own.

"When were you planning on calling Cullen and telling him everything his little lackey's seen?"

Her mind cleared further and she realised that she was lying on a cold floor somewhere.

"Or were you going to keep lying to us for a while longer?"

Shifting slightly, Temperance found her hands were still bound together and that she was lying on her side.

"Did you enjoy playing along?"

Another groan answered the question and she was now alert enough to know that it wasn't her own.

"Enjoy your little walk on the wild side, before crawling back to Cullen?"

Ignoring her throbbing head, she opened her eyes slowly and was met with artificial light shining down from above.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"Pretty damn."

Surprised by the bold reply, Brennan squinted away from the bright light in time to see Mendez punch Booth hard across the face. Blinking in confusion, her eyes focused on the scene in front of her and she saw that Booth was on his knees at Mendez's feet, badly bruised and being held upright by Thomas and Young.

Too dazed to speak, she could only watch as Mendez bent close to her partner, grabbing him by the collar and speaking with a cruel smile, "Do you remember what I said I'd do to you if you lied to me?"

Booth met his eyes and answered defiantly, "Write me from jail?"

Mendez's mouth tightened and he backhanded Booth viciously, causing his head to snap to the side. Temperance sat up as best she could, feeling the room spin as she did so, and called weakly, "Stop it!"

Hearing her shout, all four men looked over towards her and Brennan felt her stomach turn as she saw the injuries Booth had received. A dark smile played across Mendez's lips and he grasped Booth's hair, asking menacingly, "Do you want to tell her what's going to happen to you?"

Booth pulled away and spoke with authority, "Leave her alone. She's got nothing to do with any of this."

The leader raised his eyebrows, "Oh really? So it wasn't her who was keeping watch at the house while you followed me?" He laughed at his shocked expression. "Sophia's been keeping tabs on you since we found you in the linen closet. Your girl's not the only one who can play at watchdog."

"She doesn't know anything," he tried again, desperately. "Just let her go."

"To go running to Cullen? No, we kill the both of you. But first," he said, with a grin, "I'm going to keep my promise." He motioned to Thomas. "Start with the arm."

Temperance watched in confusion as Thomas unlocked the handcuffs from one of Booth's wrists while Young held him in place. He tried to lash out with his free arm, but Thomas gripped his wrist firmly and twisted it hard behind his back. Booth gritted his teeth against the pain and instinctively bent low to the floor, trying to relieve the force on his arm. Brennan yelled again, "Stop it! You're going to break his arm!"

Mendez chuckled, "Not just his arm." He addressed Thomas, "Make it slow."

Thomas slowly and torturously twisted his wrist further round while Booth closed his eyes, biting his lip hard to stop himself crying out. Unable to watch, Brennan spoke loudly, hoping to reason with Mendez, "Cullen knows we're here. If anything happens to us, he'll know you're responsible."

She got the reaction she was looking for as Mendez stepped away from Booth, walking towards her. Glancing back at her partner, she saw that Thomas was keeping a firm grip on his arm, but not twisting it further.

Her attention was drawn back to Mendez as he spoke confidently, "I've been an agent for fifteen years now. Do you really think I don't know how to kill someone and make it look like an accident?" He elaborated tiredly, as though he'd done it many times before, "Your bodies will be dumped in the sea, and if anyone finds them, they'll think the injuries were from hitting the rocks." He looked back to Thomas. "Keep going."

Thomas did as instructed and Booth let out a strangled scream as his arm was wrenched harder. Knowing that it was nearly broken, Temperance shouted warningly, almost as a threat, "That'll cause a diaphyseal spiral fracture of the humerus."

Confusion flashed across Mendez's face but, unwilling to admit ignorance, he motioned for Thomas to continue, shrugging in reply to her exclamation, "Sounds painful."

"Wait!" she cried again. Seeing the agony on her partner's face, she tried desperately to simplify, imagining she was talking to him alone in the lab, "Spiral fractures aren't caused by collision with rocks, they involve a force being exerted on the bone... " Mendez's expression remain blank and she met his eyes, speaking sincerely, "They'll know that you broke his arm."

There was a tense pause as her statement sank in. Brennan kept her eyes fixed on the leader, hoping that he'd stop Thomas from finishing the job.

The silence was broken by a loud gurgle of water from somewhere in the room, and Mendez checked his watch with a sigh, "Tide's coming in."

He signalled to Thomas and he released Booth's arm, cuffing it again behind his back as he gasped in relief. The relief was quickly replaced by bewilderment on both Brennan and Booth's parts as Young and Thomas began to climb up a ladder towards a hatch in the ceiling of the room where the bright light was shining down from.

Mendez too walked towards the ladder, explaining calmly as he went, "This house was owned by a wine merchant who used it to import wines from Europe. He needed somewhere to store the wine and, against the architect's advice, he had a cellar built into the rock below the house. But when they built it, they apparently weakened the rock, and so the lowest room floods every time the tide comes in." He gestured grandly with a wicked smile, "Welcome to the lowest room."

Booth and Brennan struggled to stand as he climbed up the ladder, leaving them in the empty stone room. "You can't do this!" Booth yelled, desperately. "Cullen'll know we're missing!"

Mendez's dark laugh echoed down through the open hatch as the ladder was removed. "When the tide goes out, we will dump your bodies in the sea. Cullen, along with everyone else, will think that you were swept out to sea and drowned. Tragic, really."

A set of handcuff keys were thrown down onto the floor, which was slowly being covered with water, and the metal hatch was slammed shut as Brennan shouted, "Wait!" at the same time as her partner shouted, "No!"

The hatch didn't opened again and their hearts sank as they heard it being bolted shut.

Brennan looked over at Booth and saw that he was looking round in the semi-darkness for the handcuff keys. "Booth..." she began quietly, but was cut off as he started to walk over to where the keys had landed, feet splashing in the water as he went.

Kneeling down, his fingers found the keys and he called out, "Over here." She walked slowly over to him, feeling her bare feet slip on the wet stone and unable to use her arms for balance. Dropping to her knees behind him, she felt a strange sense of comfort as his hands grasped hers and began unlocking the cuffs.

"Booth..." she tried again, but he interrupted her as he felt for the locks.

"He won't want us with too deep lacerations on our wrists - makes it look less like an accident - which at the moment works in our favour." He paused and she heard a click. "Okay, you're out. Now do mine," he instructed, his tone business-like.

Slightly hurt by his lack of concern, Temperance took the keys quickly from his hands and turned to face his back, straining to see in the dim light that filtered through the edge of the hatch. She freed one wrist and Booth cradled his arm, still in pain from Thomas' actions. Unsure of what to say, she removed the second cuff, letting them drop into the water that now reached her hips as she knelt on the floor.

Booth got quickly to his feet and scanned the room, looking for some way out. Still confused by his behavior, Brennan stood up, feeling her head spin as she did so. Booth turned back to face her, holding her chin gently and examining the wounds on her jaw and her temple. The sense of comfort returned as his fingers brushed softly against her face and he asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and tried to meet his eyes, but he quickly let go of her chin and moved away again, turning his attention back to the room. Bewildered, she asked him in return, "Are you okay? They hit you pretty hard..."

He waved his hand dismissively, "I'm fine, Bones. Now help me look for a way out of here."

Temperance was barely aware of the water lapping at her thighs and stared at her partner, unable to believe how cold he was being. "Booth? What happened before?" she asked quietly, wanting him to talk to her.

He kept his back to her, answering abruptly, "Can't we talk about this later?"

"No," she replied before she could stop herself. Booth turned back in surprise and she walked towards him, asking earnestly, "Why won't you look at me?"

Instinctively he diverted his gaze again, but she saw how uncomfortable he was and looked down at herself, realising she was still in her silk negligee, which was now soaked through. She shook her head, still confused, "Is it this? Booth, you've seen me in less than this all evening... "

"Don't be stupid," he said, unconvincingly, but still refused to meet her gaze.

Brennan looked down again and saw the rip in the bottom of her night-dress. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the marks on her thighs, now almost covered by the water, and she asked, horrified, "Booth, what happened with Anderson... you don't think that I wanted to, do you?"

His eyes snapped up to hers. Shaking his head in disbelief, he asked, "How can you even think that?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to think?" she shouted back, her voice echoing in the empty room. "You won't speak to me, you won't look at me - what else could I have done to make you so angry with me?"

Booth's voice softened as he said, shocked, "You think I'm angry with you?"

She nodded uncertainly, feeling her conviction ebb away. Booth walked closer to her and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, explaining honestly, "Bones, you have no idea how many things went through my mind when I saw you lying on that bed, but I swear, anger towards you was not one of them."

"But why..." she began, but stopped when she recognised the look of guilt in his eyes.

"This is my fault," he said quietly, "If I hadn't brought you with me, you wouldn't be in this situation. Anderson would never have-"

She interrupted firmly, "He didn't."

"No thanks to me," Booth replied, sadly.

Temperance gave him a slight smile. "I did manage to hit him with your alarm clock."

He briefly returned the smile, but then shook his head, "I still should've been there. If I hadn't been so caught up in what happened last night, I would've noticed Mendez was up to something."

"It's not logical to blame yourself for the actions of other people," she stated confidently.

Unable to stop himself, Booth finally said what he'd been thinking for hours, "It is when I'm focused more on you than on my job!"

Temperance stared at him in stunned silence. Eventually, she asked quietly, "You're saying this is my fault?"

"No, Bones, don't be ridiculous."

"Then what are you trying to tell me?" she pressed, not fully understanding.

"That we can't work like this," he replied bluntly. "I can't pretend to be this close to you and keep my mind on the case. I wish I could, but I can't."

Part of Brennan's mind begged her to tell him not to pretend but she controlled herself, seeing the worry on his face, and said levelly, "Then we won't. We'll work better if we aren't in awkward situations anymore. When we get out of this, we'll go back to the way we were. Partners, nothing more."

Booth nodded in agreement, and she felt a pang of disappointment as she saw relief pass over his face. He stepped back and it was only then they realised just how high the water had risen. Feeling it lap against her waist, Temperance corrected her earlier statement,

"If we get out of this."

So they're alive at least. I mean, you can't be too mad at me, right? Right?

CheeseBK

Posted 24/01/2008 03:23:55 AM


alive, yeah, but for how long??? bertie, you sure know how to torture your readers....

loved it, but hey, they can't go back to just partners!

gimmeagun

Posted 24/01/2008 09:03:41 AM


fix it bertie!!! they cannot be just partners after this! now i'm at a loss for words because i just want to know what happens next.

bones206

Posted 24/01/2008 11:06:23 AM


Sorry I'm so late in replying, I was sick, felt like I was gonna barf every 10 seconds. But I'm back now and I totally cannot wait for the next chappie to be posted, and they had better be alive and well.

bpaltland

Posted 24/01/2008 01:55:22 PM


more soon please

ToZiKa

Posted 24/01/2008 05:51:47 PM

Okay at least hey're still alive...
But you think I could not be too mad at you?
Are you sure?
You brought them in this situation and now you stop at this moment and you still believe that I'm not mad?

I really hope you make it all better in the next chapter!

fanofbones

Posted 24/01/2008 09:43:16 PM


Dammit...all the drama in these fics today...
Is there something in the water??????
Awesome chapter bertie my dear....
Here's praying there's scuba gear somewhere in the damn room....
Or...maybe someone will grow a pair and let them out or one of walls will be so weak it will collapse...I'm just saying....
trying to help a sis-ta out...lol
next one please and fast...
dammit...the water is rising...

hugs
fab

BonBon
Posted 25/01/2008 01:42:00 AM


hey bertie... this is the first one i have read of yours... great way to start!! I must admit i snuck to the other place to finish it... got too impatient...hee hee loved it !!! this was a great story!!

Posted 25/01/2008 05:50:09 AM

Cheese - I can't help it, I'm just mean like that. And I'm saying nothing about the partner situation...
gimme - It's sort of fixed in this chappie... Sort of...
206 - Ew on the sick - hope you're feeling better! And voila, here is the next chapter for your perusal.
bp - Hi! And more is here since you asked so nicely
Toz - Okay, so you're a teensy bit mad at me, but there's only about 4 chapters left so it will all work itself out soon...
fab - "Is there something in the water?"? Yes, currently it's B&B. Here be the next one, and I think you might be onto something in the "List of Oh-So-Convenient Escape Routes".
Bon - *waves* Hey! Can you tell I'm easily excited by new readers? Glad you liked the story, even if you couldn't stick it out on this site (a couple of people didn't make it past the first chapters on here, so I guess you get some points) Thanks for the feedback and can I ever so subtly direct you towards "You're Lovely to Me" if you'd like to read anything else written by me. (Okay, subtle shameless-plugging is hard...)

Chapter 15 - Up or Under?

Booth moved slowly round the room, running his hand along the wall just above the water level, wondering why his partner was staring at the ceiling.

Brennan stood in the middle of the room, staring at the ceiling, wondering why her partner was moving round and feeling the wall.

When he had completed his circuit, Booth gave a small sigh and turned to Brennan, asking, "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to get us out of this alive," she replied matter-of-factly.

"And how's that going?" he inquired sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes, she explained, "There's a large amount of iron oxide on the hatch in the ceiling, suggesting it's been in frequent contact with water."

Booth raised his eyebrows, deciding whether the blow to the head had done more damage than he'd previously thought. "Bones, of course it's got wet. The room floods." He splashed the chest-high water for dramatic effect. "See? Flood."

"Thank you, Booth, I can see that," Brennan replied tersely. "But in most places, the tides are semi-diurnal, and so they have both a higher high water and a lower high water. This could be the lower high water."

The beating he'd received from Mendez was already making Booth's head hurt, but she was doing nothing to help his headache. Gesturing helplessly, he prompted, "And for those of us who don't speak weathergirl..."

She sighed, but explained patiently, "The tide goes in and out twice a day, meaning there are two high tides in a twenty-four hour period. Usually, one of these high tides in higher than the other, hence the name higher high water, and the other is lower so..."

"Lower high water," Booth finished, grasping the concept.

Temperance smiled. "Exactly. If this is the lower high water then the water may not rise to the very top of the room."

"Well, how do you know?" he asked, hopeful for a way out.

His hope disappeared when she answered simply, "I don't."

"How is that going to help us?" he asked, frustrated. "We can't just wait and see if the water reaches the ceiling! What if it does?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Brennan snapped back, equally stressed.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Booth asked, "Do you know which way the sea is?"

She put her hands on her hips, ignoring the water splashing against her upper arm, and asked tiredly, "Why would I know which way the sea is?"

He shrugged, "You had it down in the car on the way here. Thought you might've had some sort of sixth sense." Seeing that she was not amused by his comment, he tried again, "Do you remember where the water started to come in from? Which direction was that gurgle we heard before?"

"Why do you expect me to remember?" she retorted defensively, slightly panicking at the rising water.

"Because I was having my arm broken at the time, Bones!" Booth yelled, but then took another deep breath to calm himself. Giving her a quick smile, he said, honestly, "Thanks for that, by the way."

Returning the smile, Temperance gave him a small nod of acknowledgement and then looked around the room, trying to remember where the noise came from. "You were here," she murmured, visualising the scene, "And the sound came from my right, which would be..." She pointed triumphantly. "That way."

"Nice work, Bones," her partner said with a grin as he moved over to the wall she was pointing to. Doing his best to see in the dark room, Booth looked down through the water, searching for the source.

It was Brennan's turn to ask, "What are you doing?"

Not turning away from the wall, he answered, "The wall isn't wet above the water line, so it must be coming in from somewhere below it, and it figures that it would be on the side closest to the sea."

She moved over to help him look, but objected, "What good is this going to do? The water could be coming in through tiny cracks..."

Booth shook his head with a smile, "Mendez said that they weakened the rock when they built this place. I would put money on that meaning some builder got over-excited with his pickaxe and caused a nice big crack in the wall somewhere."

She frowned, "I thought you didn't gamble."

Smiling to himself, he explained, "Just a saying, Bones. I'm not actually going to start betting when we're about to drown- " He stopped and a grin spread across his face as he felt a stream of water against his hand. "Although if we had, you'd now owe me money."

Her eyes lit up, "You found something?"

"Yep."

Moving aside to let her see, Booth's grin faded when she said, doubtfully, "There's not much of a hole there."

"There will be," he said confidently, feeling for the stones surrounding the triangular hole. "Help me move these."

Reluctantly, Brennan put her hands inside the hole and started to pull on the stones. To her surprise, they came out relatively easily as she wiggled them up and down. Looking over at Booth, she asked, astonished by the widening hole in front of them, "How did you know this would be here?"

He shrugged, still grinning, "What can I say, I know shoddy building work. Some poor guy will have been too scared to tell his boss, so he'll have plugged the gap with stones and hoped no-one would notice."

"How did you know the hole would be this big though?" she asked, slightly annoyed that he'd figured it out before she had.

"Water came in quick, so hole must've been big," he replied simply.

Temperance nodded in comprehension, "Of course. The room was filling up too quickly for it to be a small crack, even when forced in at speed, and a room of this size would essentially need a very large pipe to get the water to this capacity in this sort of time-"

"Bones," Booth interrupted before she could continue at length and reiterated, "Quick water, big hole."

Before she could protest, he vanished below the surface and she felt him pull her down too. Under the water, he pointed to the small water-filled tunnel that was now visible through the area they had cleared. It sloped down away from them quickly, along a sedimentary layer in the cliff which had been inadvertently cracked open by the builders.

Booth resurfaced and she followed, opening her eyes to see him smiling happily at her. "We've got a way out!"

Temperance did not return his smile. "No, we haven't," she replied, more bluntly than she had intended. Seeing him frown, puzzled, she elaborated, "We don't know how wide it is. For all we know, it could narrow before it reaches the ocean. And even if we can fit through, we could be deep below the surface."

He shook his head, "No, I was conscious when Mendez brought us down here. It's not too far, we could easily swim back up."

"Not with these injuries," she stated firmly.

Annoyed by her pessimism, Booth argued, "We're fine - they're hardly life-threatening."

"Our bodies need all the oxygen they can get at the moment. If we hold our breaths for a long amount of time, we currently have a greater risk of passing out."

"If we stay here, we have an even greater risk of dying!" he yelled, giving into the fear in his gut. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather avoid that option."

"Oh, and I'd rather die, would I?" she shouted back, but was cut off as the water reached her mouth while she was speaking. Caught by surprise, she coughed loudly, but more water moved into her mouth. Quickly, Booth lifted her up by her shoulders, raising her head and neck back above the water level and allowing her to cough successfully.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

Brennan nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist to make them the same height, and managed to speak between deep breaths, "What are we going to do?"

Booth met her eyes, seeing that her fear mirrored his own. Uncertainly, he said, "We can either tread water here and hope that it doesn't reach the ceiling, or we can take our chances with the hole." He raised his eyebrows as another possibility occurred to him, "Or we could do both? See if the water rises and then try the hole if it does?"

Temperance shook her head, slowly becoming aware of just how cold the water was. "No. The longer we stay here, the less energy we'll have to swim out if we need to. Plus, we're at risk of hypothermia in this water." Trying not to show how frightened she was, she said confidently, "We'll take the hole."
And another cliffie... What would you all do, wait or swim?

CheeseBK

Posted 25/01/2008 06:05:10 AM


SWIM!!!! that's what I would do..... bertie, this story is great!!!

ToZiKa
Posted 25/01/2008 07:37:44 AM


Okay I'm not that mad anymore....at least you gave them the possibility to get away.
And you let her wrap her legs around hs waist too....so I can't possible be mad anymore, right?

Oh and I would try to swim...it is always better to try something to escape than just wait for death to come.

SnoopGirl

Posted 25/01/2008 04:46:34 PM


I am on the edge of my seat - AGAIN!

bones206

Posted 25/01/2008 06:45:23 PM


Well, at least they are alive for the moment. But they had better be alive when the story ends!!!!

fanofbones

Posted 25/01/2008 10:41:36 PM


Holy Booth....this is scary....and wonderful by the way....Ok, they at least have a plan...
as to what I would do? Well I would already have shit in my pants and probably be dead from a heart attack...but I would swim for it...

still loving this bertie...
fab

Posted 26/01/2008 06:02:23 AM


Cheese - Hmm, swimming could be dangerous... What if they get stuck?
Toz - I was wondering who would be the first to focus on the leg-wrapping part And yep, they do have a way out, but do you really think it'll be that easy?
Snoop - You know what happens! Not that I'm complaining about the edge-of-the-seat-ness, but there aren't any surprises for you!
206 - My lips are sealed...
fab - The best laid plans of mice and men... Oh, and in response to your request on YLTM, I will take all of the above as a bribe, and should hopefully get a new one written on Sunday (I've been busy with the BE oneshot)

Chapter 16 - Going Under

Booth nodded in response to Brennan's decision, not entirely sure whether to be happy with her choice or terrified with what they were about to do. The water lapped against his chin but his partner's weight still rested on his waist, holding him underwater.

"So, do you want to go first?" Temperance asked nervously.

He shook his head and, seeing the insulted look on her face, explained, "You're smaller than me. If the tunnel gets narrower, I don't want you getting stuck behind me."

"You think I'd leave you?" she inquired in disbelief.

Meeting her eyes, Booth said earnestly, "If you can fit through and I can't, then I want you to leave me." She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off, "Please, Bones, don't argue with me - we don't have time."

Realising that the water was nearly covering his mouth, she nodded slightly and shifted off him, treading water to keep herself above the surface. "Are you ready?" she asked softly, not even sure that she was.

"Yep," Booth said with a small smile. "I'll be right behind you."

Gripping hold of his arm, Brennan pushed herself above the surface, taking as much air into her lungs as she could. Immediately, she then dived under the water, feeling Booth's hands guide her into the hole, and she kicked hard to propel herself along.

Inside the tunnel, she was hit with an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. Dark rocks jutted out from the walls and the ground sloped away in front of her, hiding any possible light that might be coming in. As quickly as she could, she used the sides of the tunnel to pull herself along, groping blindly for any hand holes. She kept her feet moving, trying to swim as much as possible, but her legs repeatedly collided with the top and bottom of the narrow space, forcing her to crawl rather than swim.

Suddenly she stopped, unable to move further forward.

Panic rushed through her and she waved her arms in front of her face in desperation, not understanding why she couldn't move. Brennan could feel the pressure intensifying in her chest as she struggled to free herself from whatever was holding her back. Something closed around her foot and she instinctively kicked out against it, unable to turn round in the cramped space.

However, her leg was then lifted gently by the mysterious object and the panic fell as quickly as it had arisen when she realised that Booth had freed her foot from whatever it was caught on. Kicking her legs briefly in thanks, she headed further and further into the darkness, hoping that the tunnel would end soon.

Going deeper, Temperance felt her ears pop from the pressure and a sudden sense of light-headedness came over her. Doing her best to focus on the tunnel, she continued to swim forward, realising that the walls were slowly narrowing. Glancing behind her worriedly, she saw that Booth was still managing to squeeze between the rocks, but knew that he wouldn't be able to if it got any smaller.

Without warning, the blackness of the hole seemed to lighten and Brennan blinked hard, thinking she was passing out. Her chest ached from holding her breath and her body cried out for oxygen, but she squinted through her stinging eyes and realised that there was indeed light at the end of the tunnel.

Kicking with renewed energy, she swam forward as the light grew brighter, illuminating her way out. Desperate for air, she reached the hole in seconds and found to her relief that she was able to squeeze through.

As soon as her upper body was through the crack in the cliff, Brennan pushed hard off the rock, swimming blindly to the surface. Looking up, she saw the sun glinting through the pale blue water and used every last ounce of strength she had to burst to the surface, ignoring the dizziness that had filled her head. As soon as her head emerged from the water, she gasped loudly, taking in a lungful of much needed air.

Her head spun as she did so, and she glanced around for Booth, thinking that he was right behind her. Not seeing him, she turned frantically in the water, looking all around for any glimpse of her partner. Darkness started to creep into her vision and she desperately tried to stay conscious, but the pounding in her head overtook her and, despite her efforts, her body went limp, slipping below the waves.

------------------------------

In the cramped conditions of the tunnel, Booth was barely able to move forward.

He'd removed his shoes back in the cellar and he was starting to wish he'd taken his jeans off as well since the heavy material weighed him down, making it twice as hard to kick his legs. To his relief, he'd seen Brennan disappear out of the end of the tunnel a few moments earlier, but he was now trapped as the soaked denim of his pants caught on the jagged rocks.

Unable to bend in any direction, Booth quickly unbuttoned his jeans with one hand, sliding them frantically off his legs as he swam towards the small opening, and the air that awaited him at the surface. Forcing his way out of the tunnel, he began swimming up, relishing the new-found movement in his body. The injuries on his face stung with the salt-water of the sea, but Booth's mind was solely focused on breathing the air again.

Kicking furiously to reach the surface, he felt a sudden flash of horror when he saw Brennan sinking slowly towards him through the water. Instinctively, he grabbed her arm and thrashed his legs harder, dragging both himself and her towards the longed-for air.

They both surfaced and Booth pulled Brennan's head out of the water while gulping down as much air as he possibly could. Any relief he felt after making it out of the tunnel alive quickly vanished as he struggled to pull his unconscious partner to shore, his muscles aching from the exertions of the escape. As he swam, pulling her behind him, his dismissal of their injuries echoed in his mind, We're fine - they're hardly life-threatening. Swimming faster, his mind screamed at him, How the hell could you be so stupid?

After what seemed like forever, he reached the beach at the side of the cliff, now much smaller because of the high tide. Dragging his partner out of the water, Booth bent low over her, trying to remember his basic survival training. Danger, gone. Response...

"Bones? Bones, can you hear me?" he called desperately, but received no answer from Brennan. Checking her over for injuries, his heart leapt when he saw her chest rise and fall as she breathed slowly. She's alive, thank God... He paused for a second, overcome by relief, before he recalled what he was supposed to do now.

Recovery position, he prompted himself. Put her in the recovery position and pray she wakes up soon. Carefully he lay her on her back and knelt at her side, taking hold of her left hand with his right and holding it flat against her right cheek. He then propped her left knee up at an angle and was about to tilt her over when he felt a slight pressure on his hand.

Booth's eyes flew to her face and hope surged through him as he felt her squeeze his hand again, more firmly this time. Letting go of her knee, he moved to her head, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze in return and speaking gently, "I'm here, Bones. You're okay, it's all going to be okay..."

Her eyes flickered open at the sound of his voice and before he could say anything else, her arms were wrapped tightly round his neck, pulling him into a hug, as she sat up, taking deep, relieved breaths. His initial surprise quickly disappeared as he pulled her close in return, resting his head thankfully on her shoulder. Feeling her body shaking as she breathed heavily, Booth stroked her hair, speaking soothingly, "Hey, it's okay... We're out, we're alive..."

Temperance began to feel herself relax, comforted by his presence as her breathing slowly returned to normal. The hug loosened slightly and Booth lifted his head to face his partner, still holding her gently with his hands. "Are you okay?" he asked, his earlier terror still visible in his eyes.

She nodded slowly, her face staying close to his, and whispered, "Thank you."

Booth looked down, feeling the guilt returning. "I'm sorry, Bones," he said softly, "I didn't realise how bad your head injury was... If I'd have known, I..."

Brennan gave him a small smile, and dropped her head lower to meet his gaze. "We're alive," she said quietly, "That's all that matters."

There was silence as Booth met her eyes, moving so close that their lips were almost touching. "Bones," he began, barely audible over the sound of the waves, "What I said before..."

Temperance leaned instinctively closer, hoping he was thinking the same thing she was. But before he could finish, they were interrupted by the mocking voice of Rob Anderson from behind them,

"Well, if it isn't the ones who got away."

Hi, my name's Bertie, and I'm a cliffie addict... Only two chapters left - *puts on announcer voice* will Anderson shoot/drown/generally be nasty to B&B? Will they go back to being just partners? Will Booth remain pantless for the rest of the story? Find out (in part) tomorrow.

ToZiKa

Posted 26/01/2008 10:06:49 AM


Okay I think that will be my longest review ever...but I just have to say or point out a few things....

Quote :
bertie456 wrote :
Toz - I was wondering who would be the first to focus on the leg-wrapping part And yep, they do have a way out, but do you really think it'll be that easy?

You can't just let me hold on to my hopes for a happy ending, can you?

Quote :
bertie456 wrote :
Unable to bend in any direction, Booth quickly unbuttoned his jeans with one hand, sliding them frantically off his legs as he swam towards the small opening, and the air that awaited him at the surface.

Most likely the best idea he ever had...

bertie456 wrote :
Temperance began to feel herself relax, comforted by his presence as her breathing slowly returned to normal.

I think I would relax too in Booth's arms....who wouldn't?

Quote :
bertie456 wrote :
Will they go back to being just partners? Will Booth remain pantless for the rest of the story?

I hope they won't go back to just partners....and I don't believe that it would be possible!
Oh and I have no problem with a pantless Booth!
If it was for me he could be pantless all the time!

CheeseBK

Posted 26/01/2008 12:28:30 AM


argh, cliffie much AGAIN! but great update, bertie

bones206

Posted 26/01/2008 10:36:41 PM

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are alive!!!!!! I love updates you know!

fanofbones

Posted 27/01/2008 00:45:50 AM



Wonderful chapter....in fact....so wonderful...I'll forgive you the cliffie....

Ok am I the only one that had a moment with....
<feeling Booth's hand guide her into the hole> lol...I need help don't I? **evil grin**

and then dammit...I had another moment when....
<Booth quickly unbuttoned his jeans with one hand, sliding them frantically off his legs as he swam towards the small opening>
god help me....calling Dr. Sweets!!!!!! **evil swoon**

and then dammit all to hell...I had another moment when...
<hoping he was thinking the same thing she was> mother of god, he's in his boxers and she's in a see thru nighty...do I need to spell it out for them....

and then all my hopes..dreams..and wishes are crapped on with..
<Well, if it isn't the ones who got away> Well fuck...

but wait, I did say I would forgive you that....oh well...

and glug glug whoooooooooooooofuckinhooooooooooooooooooo
on Booth being in or out of his boxers for the remainder of this exceptional and excellent fic....

and by my calculations...its freakin tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hugs
fab

Posted 27/01/2008 06:16:45 AM

Toz - Your mind is clearly in the right place with the focus on naked/comforting Booth.
Cheese - What can I say, I am a cliffie whore.
206 - !!!!!? Yep, they are alive, but for how long... *Mwah-ha-ha*
fab - Thanks for the little parade of moving things - strange but cute. And I know you went and read the ending, but thanks for your review anyway - I wasn't being mean in my AN on Desperate Times, I was just stating a fact! I'll reply to your ffn reviews properly at some point too...

Chapter 17 - Payback

Booth felt Brennan tense in his arms at the sound of Anderson's voice and he hated to admit that he felt the same way.

Glancing down at himself, he realised just how vulnerable they both were as they sat on the beach, injured, exhausted and soaking wet. He could feel the goosebumps on his partner's skin as she shivered in her thin nightdress and he was no better, wearing only his socks, boxers and shirt, all of which clung to his body, making him even colder.

"Put your hands where I can see them," Anderson barked gruffly, holding a gun, and they slowly raised their hands above their heads, inching apart as they did so.

As he turned to face his former partner, Booth felt a sudden glimmer of hope when he saw that Anderson was alone, clearly not expecting to have found them there. One of him, two of us, he thought optimistically, checking over Anderson's body for other weapons. He's got no way to restrain us, and he can't hold a gun on us both at the same time.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Anderson ordered, "Get down on the ground and keep your hands on your heads."

Swallowing hard, Booth did as he was instructed, meeting Brennan's fearful gaze as he did so. He tried to signal to her as they both lay on their stomachs on the beach, but felt Anderson's gun press hard on the back of his neck, forcing his head down to the ground.

"I don't know how the hell you got out," he spat, angrily, "But you're not going to live to tell about it."

Feeling the pressure on his neck lessen, Booth raised his head and replied boldly, "We all know you're not going to shoot us. Mendez'll have your ass if you do, and you're too chicken to piss him off."

The sharp kick to his ribs came as no surprise and Booth dropped his head back down, forcing himself to lie still as Anderson's foot collided repeatedly with his side, interspersed with angry grunts from the man standing. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the pain now shooting through his torso, but lifted his head swiftly when he heard a cry of agony that wasn't his own.

Rolling over, a smile spread across his face when he saw Anderson lying on the ground clutching his knee, while Brennan stood over him, holding the gun and wearing a slight smirk. "Nice going, Bones," he said between coughs as he got to his feet, holding his aching side.

Temperance held the gun firmly on the agent groaning at her feet, but her eyes darted over to Booth as she asked, concerned, "Are you alright?"

He nodded with a grimace, relieved that she had taken advantage of the distraction he'd provided. Quickly he focused his attention back on Anderson, taking the gun from Brennan and pointing it unwaveringly at his head. "On your feet and into that cave," he commanded simply. "Now."

Too scared to argue, Anderson walked hurriedly into the cave where Booth had seen Mendez deposit the drugs earlier, keeping his hands raised in surrender. Once they were inside and out of sight, Booth motioned towards a wall, "You know the drill."

Anderson did indeed know the drill and reluctantly placed his hands against the wall and spread his legs. Catching Booth's nod, Temperance moved forward and thoroughly searched him, her face lighting up when she found a cell phone in his pocket. Satisfied that he wasn't carrying any weapons, she stepped back to Booth, speaking quietly, "You can call Cullen."

Checking that Anderson was staying in place, Booth nodded, passing her the gun with firm instructions, "Watch him. I don't say this often, but if he tries anything, feel free to shoot him. Preferably somewhere non-fatal, but I'll understand if that's not possible."

Brennan smiled broadly as she took the gun and Anderson let out a gasp of protest, "You can't let her-"

"Ah-ah," Booth said warningly as he dialled Cullen's number, "I've got immunity for anything that happens here, so yes, I can."

Knowing he was beaten, Anderson fell silent and Booth spoke briefly to Cullen, "Yes Sir. As soon as you can." He hung up, and Brennan frowned, confused at the short duration of the call. He moved back over to her and whispered so Anderson couldn't hear, "He'll be here in thirty minutes, maximum. He's stationed nearby with the most trustworthy SWAT guys he knows - I just needed to make the call."

Temperance didn't protest as Booth took the gun back off her, but whispered something softly in his ear, a smile on her face. The smile was contagious, and Booth nodded before addressing Anderson with authority, "Turn round."

He did, letting his hands drop to his sides and threatened, "Someone'll know I'm missing."

Booth laughed mockingly. "They'll all be too high by now to notice anything. We've got you for as long as we need you. Now," he ordered, his tone commanding, "Strip."

Anderson's eyes widened, "What?"

"We're both kind of cold, what with nearly drowning and all, so we'd like some dry clothes," he said levelly.

"You have dry clothes," Brennan added to clarify.

He shook his head, "No way."

Wordlessly, Booth clicked the safety off the gun and lowered his aim to his groin.

"Hey, hey, wait! Okay!" Anderson yelled, as he began pulling off his shirt. When it was removed, he threw it to Brennan, who gladly wrapped it round her shoulders, letting it fall to her thighs. Anderson's attention was distracted as she then removed her wet negligee, dropping it to the floor and sliding her arms gratefully into the shirt sleeves.

Booth was also momentarily thrown by seeing his partner soaking wet and wearing only black lingerie and a man's shirt. Pulling himself together, and storing that mental picture, he motioned again to Anderson. "And the pants."

Humiliated, Anderson took off his black jeans, which Brennan took from his hands and carried over to Booth, swapping them for the gun. Moving behind her back, Booth wriggled Anderson's jeans on, relieved to note that his boxers had partly dried, and unbuttoned his soaked shirt, peeling it off his body and wringing it out. He then strode purposefully over to Anderson, twisting the shirt tightly. "Hands behind your back."

Brennan watched, keeping a firm grip on the gun, as Booth used his wet shirt to bind Anderson's wrists together. Seeing the moisture glisten on her partner's chest as he moved, her mind drifted back to his words to her at the beach, and she wondered if he had been referring to their partnership. Don't be ridiculous, she told herself. He wants us to go back to the way we were. Nothing more. But for once, the logical part of her seemed to help out, What else could he have been talking about though?

She was brought quickly back to reality when Booth walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and talking in a low voice, "I'm going to go move him to the back of the cave, just in case anyone comes past and hears him. Can you stay here and keep watch?"

Temperance nodded mutely, wishing that Anderson, Cullen and all the other distractions would go away so she could talk to Booth properly. Sadly, her wish didn't come true, as Booth walked away from her into the darkness of the cave, pushing a bound Anderson along in front of him. Sighing in annoyance, she settled on a rock, watching the entrance to the cave and irrationally wanting to swap places with Anderson so that she could be alone with her partner.

Reaching a secluded part of the cave, Booth shoved Anderson roughly to the floor, ignoring his yelp as he landed hard on his ass. Leaning against the wall, he met his eyes and spoke coldly, "We never did get to finish that talk about what you did to my partner."

Fear flashed across Anderson's face, but he replied confidently, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He half-expected Booth to walk straight over and hit him, but was surprised when he remained against the wall, laughing softly. "Don't play dumb with me, Anderson," he said, keeping his anger under control, "I know what you tried to do."

"Yeah, emphasis on the word "tried". Bitch wouldn't let me anywhere near her," Anderson said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice that made Booth feel sick.

Taking a deep breath, he said darkly, "I'm already trying to decide whether to kill you, and you calling her that is making my choice a lot easier."

Anderson didn't realise the danger he was in, and couldn't resist pushing further, "Why the hell are you so bothered anyway? You've been working undercover this whole time and Cullen probably just gave you some stupid new girl to bring along. She's only your damn partner - what's it to you if I tried to screw her?"

Before Anderson knew what was happening, Booth's hand was round his neck, pinning him to the floor and choking him. As he gasped for breath, Booth yelled angrily, "She's not just my partner, you son of a bitch! You don't get to call her otherwise and you don't get to touch her!"

Anderson kicked desperately, his face turning red from the lack of oxygen. Booth kept hold of his neck for a moment longer, fire blazing in his eyes, before standing up suddenly, releasing his grip and taking a deep breath himself. The man on the ground breathed a sigh of relief, lying on the floor as the air came flooding back into his lungs.

Booth punched the wall in frustration, unsure whether to be happy or sad that he didn't finish the job. He heard Anderson's gasps turn into mocking laughter and he looked back down at him, leaning heavily towards the latter option.

His words came out between breaths, but Anderson still wore a cruel smile on his face as he spoke, "What's the matter, Booth? You jealous that I touched her before you?"

Without a second's hesitation, Booth punched Anderson hard across the face, knocking him out cold.

Shaking his sore hand, he turned round to walk away, leaving Anderson lying on the cold stone floor, but froze as he saw Brennan standing behind him, her eyes wide at what she had just witnessed.

"Bones, I..." he began, feebly.

"I heard sirens," she stated bluntly. "We should go see if Cullen's here."

She turned to walk out, but Booth grabbed her arm, "Bones, please, we need to talk about this."

"We need to go find Cullen," she reiterated, wishing that it wasn't the case. "Make sure Mendez and the others are arrested." Meeting his eyes, her tone softened, "We'll talk about this later. I promise."

Booth managed a slight nod and they started to make their way out of the cave, his words echoing in both their minds, "She's not just my partner..."

One more to go! Will they end up more than partners? Will Booth put a shirt on? Which is more important?

ToZiKa

Posted 27/01/2008 07:17:24 AM

Wow very good chapter...
First of all Bones overpowered Anderson then they stole his clothes and now Bones witnessed his she's not just my partner-speech!
And now he has pants but no shirt.....I'm not sure which possibility I liked more....but maybe you could combine this two?

I hope they will end up more than partners and Booth will not put a shirt on.....both things are very important!

Oh and I'm happy to hear/read that my mind is in the right place...