The Collector by CheeseBK posted 18/09/2007

Posted 26/02/2008 07:52:30 AM
by vanessaaaaa

Oooh! Do you speak english there as well? As in, do you have "Austrian" as a language there. *shys* Because over here, there's so many languages and dialects. And english is just one of them.

Posted 26/02/2008 09:10:41 AM
by CheeseBK

We normally speak German, vanessaaaa, with local accents, that is So, we do not use english in daily use or anything...

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Sooooooo.... I know I left the last chapter with a cliffie.... that’s why this update is coming so soon ... don’t want to torture you too long

Thank you for your reviews and for still reading!

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Chapter 27:

Booth, Denton and the other two agents slowly walked down the stairs. Once they had been inside, it only had taken their eyes a few moments to adjust to the dimly lit cave-like cellar.

There were niches in the walls, every single one of them occupied by oil lamps, which flickered when the agents passed by. The wavering light gave the staircase leading down from entrance to the cellar an even eerier touch. Which seemed to be the purpose, since Roberts could have used electrical lights too.... There had to be electricity or his surveillance system would not have worked, Booth thought.

When they finally reached the bottom, Booth’s eyes widened. The wine cellar was huge, it had to have about the same dimensions as the hill it was built under. He looked around, taking in the rows of shelves with bottled wine and the big barrels. Thick columns were supporting the weight of the arches of the ceiling. Down here, The Collector had exchanged the eerie glow of the oil lamp against the cold artificial light of neon lamps, doubtless it would have been too much work to refill all the oil lamps. But there were still only few lamps and there remained many shadowy corners.

Booth sniffed the air and was surprised not to find it reeking stale and humid, as he had anticipated, it seemed fresh enough. ‘A second entrance or a ventilation system’ He thought.

His gaze moved over the walls of the cellar and finally he spotted a door on the other side of the big room. He motioned for one of the agents to go with him, moving around the shelves and barrels on the right side and gestured for Denton and the other agent to take the left side. Slowly and silently they moved forward, checking every corner for The Collector until both teams met again at the door.

Booth took in a deep breath and tried to brace himself, then he pushed the door open. The sight before him let him gasp, before he could catch himself.
His eyes were fixed on a wall, a wall that was covered by pictures. Photographs taken from the women The Collector had tortured. They were always unconscious. Or dead.

Booth recognised most of the women.... there was one picture of the woman, unconscious – drugged as Booth assumed - obviously right after The Collector had kidnapped her. There were nicknames scribbled onto the pictures, like ‘Deedee’ or ‘Little Nurse’.
Most of the pictures had a second one underneath the first one. A picture taken of the dead body of the respective woman, where The Collector had placed them and where they had been waiting for Booth and Bones to find them. Booth swallowed hard, searching for HER picture.

When he finally spotted Brennan’s picture, the breath caught in his throat. She looked pale and vulnerable on it and the nickname written on it was ‘Doc’. One single picture of Bones. She had to be alive. Relief flooded him, but he still had to remain alert.

Booth quickly blinked and forced his attention away from the appalling sight of the wall.

He peeked around the corner and saw that here, the interior of the cellar seemed to be modern.... There was a large room with concrete floor, seven metal doors were built into the longer side of it, but one of them looked smaller and less heavily built.

He moved forward, his back facing the wall, the other agents following him. His eyes searched the room for The Collector, but all he saw was a small desk with a screen, that showed a blurry image of the door upstairs. Papers were scattered over the surface of the desk, but still no sign of The Collector. There were no corners to hide, nothing. He had to be behind one of these doors.

Booth motioned for the other agents to come nearer. “We have to open the doors, Denton, Shriver, you start left, Morris and I on the right. Be careful.” He whispered and the other agents nodded, accepting the orders of the senior agent.

Silently he moved towards the first of the heavily built metal doors, Agent Morris right behind him. Booth saw that there was a slit at eye-level but he dismissed the idea of opening it to look at what was behind the door. The Collector might be standing there, ramming something into his eye – not really a mistake he intended to make. He motioned for Morris to open the door, while he was aiming at whatever or whoever was inside.

Morris reached for the locking bar, cautiously slid it aside and quickly opened the door. The room – no the cell, Booth corrected himself - was empty, except for a table and a chair, a blanket and a pillow. And a big blood stain on the concrete floor.

Booth stepped back and motioned for Morris to move towards the next door, but was startled when he heard a low curse from the other two agents. He whirled around and looked at Denton and Shriver... they had started with the smaller door and it was now wide open. Booth saw daylight seeping in and knew why Denton had cursed. It was the second exit he had been wondering about earlier.

“He’s gone.” Shriver added needlessly. Booth nodded. “Examine the area outside and contact the others that Marc Roberts has escaped. We’re going to open these cells. If they.... they may need medical treatment, make sure the EMTs come down here.”

Denton and Shriver nodded and left through the door, while Booth turned towards Morris.
“You start here, I’ll take the left. ....Morris, be... gentle, they might be in shock.... and in bad shape.” Booth added after a moment, remembering the bodies they had found.

Morris gave him a short and understanding nod, he had seen the picture wall after all.

Booth walked over to the first door on the left side and slowly opened it.
A blond woman was cowering in the corner and stared at him, her eyes wide open.
“Shhh” he soothed her. “It’s okay. I am with the FBI. It’s over, we are going to get you out of here.”
She blinked slowly, and it took a few long moments until understanding showed in her eyes. She started to tremble and shrieked, when Agent Denton appeared beside Booth in the doorway. “Denton, careful, she is in shock. Talk to her.” Booth said to him in a low murmur, trying not to scare the young woman. Denton nodded and said: “It’s okay, lady. You’re safe now. The EMTs are coming and will take care of you.”

Booth gave her a reassuring look and left the cell, moving on to the next, hoping with all his heart he was going to find Bones behind the door.

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Okay, please let me know what you think about this chapter. Did you like it?

Posted 26/02/2008 11:09:45 AM
by ToZiKa

Two new chapters and still no Bones....you are really trying to kill me here, aren't you?
I might get a heartattack, you know...

And the collector got away again....
I really hope that Booth will find Bones in this cellar.....the collector couldn't have taken her with him, right?

PPS

Posted 26/02/2008 11:34:54 AM
by A2BOREANAZ

evil evil cheesie...............you did give us two chapters........so thats why i am being so nice.....ot...herwise i may have been a little upset........lol.......omg...this is so freakin good woman.........but pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaseeeeeeee let him find her........whatever you are going to have happen......let booth find her.........ugh....you are driving me over the edge........and i know you realize this.......and are loving every minute of it arent you...........come on cheesie...our fbi candy has to get to his woman............ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Posted 26/02/2008 09:37:44 PM
by BGWGscienceteacher

I'm beginning to wonder if you are the collector. You are really having fun tortureing us like this. PPS and let Booth find her in the next chapter. PLEASE!

Posted 27/02/2008 06:31:50 AM
by CheeseBK

tozika, vanessaaaaa, a2b and bgwgscienceteacher,
thank you all so much for your reviews!

vanessaaaaa, if you ever have problems with german, just yell, no prob!

Here is the next chapter!!!

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Chapter 28:

Booth opened the metal door cautiously, trying to brace himself against what ever was waiting for him. The stale and unmistakable smell of illness greeted him and he swallowed hard. Then his gaze settled on the figure on the floor, curved into a fetal position in the middle of the cell.

And though he could only see her back and her hair was dripping wet – as were her clothes – he immediately recognised her. Her body was shaking and seeing her like that nearly tore his heart out... but she was alive and that was all that counted.

“Bones” He exclaimed and rushed forward, nearly stumbling over a bucket. He moved closer towards her body and tears formed in his eyes when he saw how pale her skin was and how hard her body shook. “Bones, can you hear me?” Her eyelids fluttered, but remained closed.

He was somewhat hesitant to touch her... she did not react to his voice any further and touching her might pull her out of her catatonic state in a brutal way. Unsure what to do he simply knelt beside her and whispered her name again. “Bones, please, Bones... “

And then – suddenly – her lips moved, forming words. “Go away. You are not real.” Her voice sounded hoarse and broken and was barely audible. The defeated and fearful tone, that was so different from how her voice usually sounded, made his heart ache.

“Bones, please ... look, I am really here.” Carefully he took her hand in his and was shocked how cold, clammy and lifeless it felt in his strong warm hand. With his other hand he gently smoothed her hair and stroked her cheek. The skin of her face felt hot under his fingers and he knew she was having a fever.

“Bones...You are ill, we have to get you to the hospital. But please, I need you to talk to me. I need you to look at me.” His voice was pleading, but she did not open her eyes but whispered. “Go. Don’t haunt me. Go, you are not real.” Her body shook even more now and he squeezed her hand gently. “Please, look at me, Temperance.”

Booth felt how her body suddenly went rigid and her eyelids fluttered open and after a moment her gaze settled on his face. Booth watched how the different emotions that raged in her showed on her face, doubt battling with recognition, wonder with understanding.

She blinked and tears started to form in her eyes... in her nightmares, he had never called her Temperance.

“Booth?” She finally whispered, her voice barely audible. His heart skipped a beat.

“Bones, oh God, you scared me so much... I am here, it’s over, okay.” His voice was thick with emotion and there were not only tears in her eyes, but also in his.

“You are real. You called me Temperance. You found me.” She whispered and he just nodded, not understanding why that meant so much to her, but also not caring.

All he wanted to do was to take her in his arms, but he remembered how The Collector had treated his other victims. Remembered the bruises, the broken bones.

He swallowed hard and whispered. “Can I just hold you... I ... don’t want to hurt you.” He nearly choked on the words, the mere thought of what he may have done to her was hurting him. Nothing more than the ghost of a faint smile appeared on her face and he was sure it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life. “I’d like that.” She murmured and he gently pulled her into an embrace. “Oh, thank God. I’ve got you. It’s over” He whispered, to himself or to her was not clear anymore, but it did not matter.

Tears were streaming down his face, mingling with hers as their cheeks touched, hers so hot it felt like fire against his skin. Booth held her still slightly trembling body as tight as he dared and murmured reassuring words into her ear. Then he suddenly felt how she became limp in his arms and he knew she had fallen unconscious.

Pressing a soft kiss to her wet hair, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the cell, yelling for the EMTs.


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Angela’s fingernails were digging painfully into the flesh of Jack’s underarm – but he did not dare to object - and she was nervously biting her lower lip while they were waiting for news of Booth’s team. When finally one of the walkie-talkie’s broke the silence, they all held their breath.

“Here Denton. The suspect has escaped, I repeat, the suspect has escaped. He is armed, but probably wounded. There is another exit in the middle of the wood, rough terrain, we wait for back-up before going after him. The cellar is safe, send down EMTs...”

Angela watched how the EMTs who had been waiting nearby hurried off towards the wood and shuddered. She barely listened to what the agent near her answered, she only choked out: “Is she there? Is she ... alive?”.

The agent near her gave her an odd look, but Denton seemed to have heard her question because the walkie-talkie croaked: “No identifications so far, Booth and Morris are inside, but in the cellar there is no reception, the walls are too thick, I guess. We will go back inside too and wait for the EMTs.”

Angela let out a strangled sob. “I have to see... I have to know if she is there!” Hodgins placed a hand on her arm, but she shook it off. “I need to know, Jack.”

Her fiancé nodded. “I know, Angela. Booth is going to let us know as soon as he has her.”

She shook her head. “I need to go there” She turned towards the FBI agent. “Please can’t I just go down there?” The man looked at her and gave her an understanding, but also apologising look. “No, I am sorry, lady, but I really can’t let you go inside now. We have to ensure medical treatment first...” Angela gave him a look that would have let any man flinch, but the FBI agent stood his ground. “I am sorry, but that’s how it has to be.”

Jack took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. “Just a few minutes, then we will know more.” He assured the artist and gave her an encouraging smile. She swallowed hard and squeezed his hand tightly... and so they waited until a few minutes later the walkie-talkie croaked again.

“Shriver here. We found five women. One of them...is dead. Two positive identifications. Monica Portman. Temperance Brennan.”

Angela’s body went rigid. “Is Brennan dead or alive, god damn it?” She exclaimed at the top of her voice, interrupting the FBI agent who had just been about to repeat the information back for confirmation.

“Sorry” The walkie-talkie croaked again. “The dead victim is not yet identified. All other women are in need of medical treatment, but alive.”

Angela let out the breath she had been holding, not paying attention to the exchange between the agents anymore.

“Oh, thank GOD!” She sighed and hugged her fiancé tight, then she turned around to Zach and pulled him into a quick embrace.

The agent who had been waiting with them cleared his throat audibly. “Ehem... We can now go to the entrance ...if you like.”

“Are you kidding?” Angela asked and was already hurrying towards the wood before the agent could even open his mouth to reply.


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Sooooo, Booth found her! Wohoooooo!

What do you say, did you like it? Reviews make me very happy!

Posted 27/02/2008 07:54:14 AM
by vanessaaaaa

Muahaha! Finally Booth found her! (:

Posted 27/02/2008 12:02:29 AM
by ToZiKa

Finally he found her!
I felt so sorry for Bones when she told herself and Booth that he isn't real.
But now that she is finally safe you could start with fluff and loads of it please.
Remember you have to give us something back because of all the angst in this story.
And you surely don't want rotten tomatoes again, do you?

Can't wait for the next chapter.
PPS

Posted 28/02/2008 11:14:58 AM
by CheeseBK

thank you for you reviews, vanessaaa and tozika

Ta-ta! The next chapter is ready...

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Chapter 29:

Booth watched how the EMTs hovered over Bones, checking her vital functions, murmuring words he could not follow. His brain barely registered that the other agents had opened the remaining cells. He heard them talk about one dead woman and he briefly thought that that could have been Bones, but he shoved the thought aside and all his attention was back to her. She did not move, she did not wake up and he sighed, his eyes fixed on her pale face, her skin that had such an unhealthy colour it made him want to shake her, only to see her open her eyes, to know she was still somewhere inside.

Then the EMT loosened the self-made bandage on her thigh and her body jerked, a reaction to the pain, albeit she remained unconscious. The EMT hissed as he examined the wound and Booth knew that it had to be bad.
“How bad” He thought, not even knowing he had said the words aloud until the EMT answered: “The wound is not too deep, but it’s badly infected. Advanced blood poisoning. Pulse is high and she has a fever.” Booth briefly closed his eyes in silent acceptance of the news, while the EMT addressed one of his colleagues.

“Charlie, she’s an urgent one.” The other EMT nodded and Booth watched him fix a red tag to the stretcher Brennan lay sprawled out on. “What does that mean?” He whispered hoarsely and Charlie answered without hesitation. “Mortal danger. There should be a helicopter landing soon and red tags get a flight, yellow and green a ride on the car.”

“She’s not just a red tag.” Booth pressed through gritted teeth and gave the EMT a harsh look, but the middle-aged man did not flinch. “To me, she has to be, Sir. Trust me on that.” Booth’s anger vanished quickly, as he suddenly understood, that Charlie and his colleagues faced death and despair every day.... just like him... and emotional distance simply was a way to keep yourself sane. The FBI agent swallowed hard and just nodded.

“She will be brought up in a minute. You stay with her?” Charlie asked and Booth nodded wordlessly. “Make sure her breathing and pulse stay stable. If it changes, yell.” The EMT simply said and turned around to follow his colleagues to another stretcher. Booth reached for Brennan’s limp hand and covered it with his own, warming it. “You’re going to be alright.” He murmured, more to his own comfort, since she was still unconscious.

Then two men moved towards the stretcher – and upon seeing the red tag – quickly lifted it up to carry Brennan out of the cellar. “You need to let go of her hand.” One of them said and Booth hastily took a step back. “Of course.” He mumbled and watched them carry her towards the door.

His eyes searched the cellar for one of the other agents and when he spotted Denton, he said: “I am going up with her.”

Denton looked at him and simply nodded, fully understanding the man’s need to be with his partner. Booth took in the scene one last time, the cells, the EMTs dealing with three women on stretchers, then he turned around to follow the two men who were carrying Bones upstairs.

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Angela waited impatiently, her eyes fixed on the door, which was wide open to make it possible for the men with the stretchers to come out. She had wanted to run down the stairs and look for Brennan herself, but the men had held her back, telling her that the staircase was too narrow for her going down and the men coming up at the same time.... and that they were going to bring the women up anyway.

So she stood there, barely controlling her urge to simply ignore the agent’s explanation and hurry down to the cellar, her body practically shaking with the need to do something. She was clutching Hodgins’ hand tightly again.

After a few endless long minutes she heard somebody coming up the stairs and she held her breath. Her eyes settled on the woman on the stretcher and disappointment showed on her face, when she realised that it was not her best friend.

“Red.” One of the men carrying the stretcher announced and the FBI agent nodded, pointing into the direction of the cot. “The helicopter will land between the house and the cot. How many reds are coming?” “At least one more.” Both men answered in unison, already on their way towards the cot.

Angela watched the exchange and whispered. “What does that mean?”
“That she has to get to the hospital urgently. Red is very critical. Yellow and green are stable enough to be transported with the ambulance car.” The agent said.
Angela nodded, accepting the momentary distraction by the explanation, but swiftly returned her attention towards the staircase again, when she heard footsteps.

When she finally spotted her best friend on the stretcher, she let out a deep sigh of relief. “It’s her. It’s Bren.” But all other words died on her lips when she saw that Brennan was not only unconscious, but that there was also a red tag attached to her stretcher. “Oh, no...” She whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Hodgins muttered a curse behind her and she heard Zach’s sharp intake of breath.

A second later she saw Booth’s face appear behind the men carrying her best friend. Angela swallowed hard when she saw that his eyes were red. “Booth.... what... happened to her?” She choked out.

Booth gave her and the other squints one long look and then motioned for them to follow him and the men carrying the stretcher.
Angela watched how he walked beside his partner. Then he briefly and gently touched Brennan’s hand with such a worried and tender look on his face...... if Angela had had any doubts about the FBI agent’s feelings for her best friend, that very look would have obliterated them.

After the brief contact Booth slowed his pace a little to walk beside Angela, and after a moment of silence he cleared his throat. “You remember the bloody knife? Looks like he stabbed her thigh. The wound is infected. Blood poisoning.”
Angela gasped and he paused for a moment. “She thought I was not really there, Angela. She thought.... I don’t know. I had to talk to her for a while until she really believed I was there. The fever, I guess....”
His voice trailed off and Angela grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly, wordlessly offering her support. “She nearly died. And she’s not out of danger yet.” Booth whispered, barely audible, concern in his voice.

“She is too stubborn to give up now.” Angela said and a wry smile appeared on Booth’s face.

Passing the cot, they heard the sound of a helicopter coming near and Booth sighed. “Take care of her.”

“Don’t YOU want to ride with her?” Angela asked, astonished.
“It’s not about wanting, Angela. I can’t leave. I am in charge here.” He said, his voice grave, leaving no doubt that there was nothing he wanted more than to be in the helicopter with his partner.

“No, you aren’t.” A voice coming out of the shadow behind the cot startled them and Booth’s eyes widened when he recognised it.

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Uh, is that a cliffie?
Muahaha, I am so bad Whose voice is it, what do you think?

Reviews would be awesome.

Posted 28/02/2008 11:28:59 AM
by vanessaaaaa

Awesome! Cheese. You'll make a great scrïptwriter. You write wonderful stories and never fail to make us begging for more! You're super!

Posted 28/02/2008 11:41:14 AM
by ToZiKa

Cliffie again...
I hope it is just another agent, maybe even Cullen, who came to tell him that he is too much emotional involved.
But it could also be the collector, but that would be very stupid of him to turn up there again, when all the agents are still around.
So I hope for Cullen.
And Booth has to go to the hospital with her.
She will feel safer with him by her side and he couldn't stand it to not know what is happening to her at every minute.

I hope you continue soon.
Especially with this massive cliffie.

--Last edited by ToZiKa on 2008-02-28 11:44:48 --

Posted 28/02/2008 11:56:15 AM
by Turi ray of sunshine

Cheese... you know I love your writting and this story has me in the edge of my seat; but unfortunately I have gotten used to your evil ways and well I think it may be the collector and he is going to start shooting and the helicopter will have to go and the EMT's taking care of Brennan will be hurt and then he will take her hostage again and that will just deteriorate her condition and Booth will be giving a reason to shoot the guy and then you will make us suffer some more.

See I am ALL READY for whatever it is you want to throw at us I have already imagined the worst, so what you write next will seem like a picnic.

OH GOSH how depressing was THAT! **points at what I just wrote**.
Just getting my poor weakend heart ready for what it is to come after all we are talking about a fic written by the one that put the EVIL in Cheese!(and by that I meant the food not OUR Cheese... )

--Last edited by Turi ray of sunshine on 2008-02-28 12:06:56 --

Posted 28/02/2008 01:09:45 PM
by CheeseBK

oh sweeties, thanks for your reviews.... gotta say, you really think the worst of me *grins* I am not THAT evil, turi

Posted 28/02/2008 02:32:34 PM
by MissFabulous

Just read the last 15 chapters... and cheese you evil-fraulein.. I LOVED IT.. but those cliffies are life threatening haha...every chapter ends with one! Who's the mystery person in the shadow!? Now Im hooked again because of you!.. I just got outta fanfic rehab...

Posted 28/02/2008 02:47:41 PM
by CheeseBK

haha, thanks missfab! uh, next update probably tomorrow, so you don't have to be on cold turkey for too long

Posted 28/02/2008 06:20:13 PM
by nane

turi, keep a bit of optimism to yourself...
Damn it cheese, you make it a rocky road to heaven with a lot of detours. But I know she will make it. And I guess/ hope it is Cullen coming and letting Booth go with Brennan.... Now I go to bed and dream of your update tomorrow......

Posted 28/02/2008 07:05:46 PM
by magicstar

oh cheese you are insane with all these cliffies, im going to have a heart attack! but at least she is saved and no fever is gonna kill her! and as the collecter is missing she will have to move in with booth after hospital so he can protect her, and we all know what that means! just thinking of the possible settings for the smut lol

Posted 28/02/2008 08:25:28 PM
by vanessaaaaa

I think Cheese, you're actually more evil than you thought of yourself. *nods, firmly*

Posted 29/02/2008 06:43:07 AM
by CheeseBK

THANK YOU for your reviews. It’s not The Collector standing in the shadow of that cot.... but who is it?

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Chapter 30:


Booth stopped and whirled around to look at his boss.
Cullen greeted all of them with a nod. “Consider yourself pulled from the case because of.... personal involvement, Booth. I’ll stay here and co-ordinate the search for Roberts.”

Booth breathed out slowly and gave his boss a thankful nod. “Thank you, Sir. Denton, Shriver and Morris are downstairs, they can give you a report.”

Cullen just nodded again and motioned for him to join up with the men who were carrying his partner away. “Keep me informed, Booth.” Cullen yelled after him, watching the younger man hurry after the squints. “Of course, Sir.” He heard the agent reply, without turning back to look at him.

Sam Cullen gave the departing group of people one long look, then he walked along the narrow path through the wood towards the cellar where one of the most wanted serial killers had been hiding for months. He had been informed that one of the women they had found was dead and that the other four victims were in need of medical treatment. No surprise there. If Dr. Brennan’s condition was any indicator, they all would have to stay in hospital for quite a while. Cullen had only caught a quick glimpse of her pale face, but the worried look on Booth’s face would have told him as much.

Cullen sighed, while he resumed walking. He had always known that Booth cared a lot for his partner... maybe more than was considered appropriate between partners.... and that was one of the reasons he hoped that Dr. Brennan was going to be alright.
The other reason was far more simple: Despite all her ‘squintiness’ he had grown to like her.


_________________________________________________________________

Angela looked down at the pale face of her best friend and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Don’t do anything stupid, Sweetie.” She whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Then he looked up at Booth, who was standing beside her, watching the helicopter land.

“Booth” Angela yelled against the noise and wind, trying to keep the whirling strands of her hair out of her eyes. The FBI agent looked at her and she shouted: “Give me your keys. We’ll drive to the hospital. And you take care of her!”

Booth nodded wordlessly and handed her the keys, then he watched how Angela ushered Zach and Hodgins towards the house. Now that her best friend was not in the hands of a killer anymore, it seemed she was able to take control again. A faint smile tugged on Booth’s lips.... Brennan was lucky to have such a team behind her, people who were more than just colleagues. They were friends... family, even.

A few moments later he was sitting in the helicopter, watching the emergency doctor fussing over his partner and although the flight only took only about ten minutes, he nearly managed to fall asleep, due to exhaustion.
All the tension and the adrenaline was now wearing off and with Brennan in the skilled hands of a physician he finally allowed himself to drop his mask, the mask of the confident FBI agent.

What was left, was a tired and worried man who feared for the life of the woman he loved.

His eyes widened. There, with Brennan’s figure so still and pale on the stretcher before him, somewhere in the sky over DC he had dared to admit it to himself. Finally.
He looked down at his Bones again and hoped with all his heart that he was going to be given the chance to tell her.

_________________________________________________________________

Thirty minutes later, Angela, Zach and Hodgins found a half-dozing Booth in the waiting area of the hospital’s surgery wing.

His head jerked up, when he heard the squints hurrying towards him and Angela was not surprised to see dark circles under his eyes. She knew he had hardly slept since Brennan had been kidnapped.

“She is in surgery.” He rasped, his voice hoarse. “They have to ..... I don’t know exactly what they are going to do, but they seemed to be pretty worried.”

“Did she wake up during the flight?” Angela asked, while she sat down beside Booth, placing one hand on his shoulder and gripping Jack’s sleeve tightly with the other, when she saw that Booth only shook his head.

She was somehow torn between being strong for Booth and breaking down. After a moment she swallowed hard and loosened her grip on Hodgins sweater...... and chose being strong. For Brennan, for Booth, for all of them.

In her head she heard Brennan’s voice commenting dryly: “How is you not breaking down going to help me?” And Angela smiled...... somehow she knew that her best friend was going to make it. Temperance Brennan was a fighter.

_________________________________________________________________


I know this one was kind of short, but the next one should be up soon.

Reviews make me happy.

Posted 29/02/2008 09:59:31 AM
by magicstar

back from work and a new chappy all waiting, thank you, this fic is amazing cheese and has me completely hooked x x x

Posted 29/02/2008 11:10:26 AM
by CheeseBK

thanks magic!!!!

Posted 29/02/2008 07:47:27 PM
by magicstar

what you mean thanks! where is my chappy lol

Posted 01/03/2008 05:48:20 AM
by ToZiKa

It really was Cullen.
You know, I hoped it would be Cullen, but I couldn't be sure with you writing so much angst in this story...I had to think of the worst possibility too.

But now there are some hints of fluff in there....Booth finally admited to himself that he loves Brennan....and he is planning to tell her about it too...

I hope the surgery will go well and she will wake up soon.

Oh and I really hope to be able to read a new chapter later today too.

Posted 01/03/2008 10:10:58 AM
by vanessaaaaa

Oh man. I just re-read everything because I forgot who is Cullen. Hee. Great! Cheese. If you can see me, I'm craning my neck across the world to see if the next chapter is ready. >.<

Posted 03/03/2008 11:16:29 AM
by CheeseBK

THANK YOU for your reviews. I am sorry for the long wait, but I have been sick all week-end and I simple was not able to find the concentration to write ANYthing.... but now, here we go....

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Chapter 31:

Dr. Saroyan spotted the group of people she had been searching for and stopped, simply looking at them. Booth seemed to be dozing, his head against the hospital-typical white wall. Angela’s head was resting against her fiancé’s shoulder, her eyes closed, as were his. The only one who was visibly awake, was Zach. But he was still not seeing his boss, since he was busily reading one of the medical magazines that usually could be found in waiting rooms.

Cam sighed at the sight of the group of people..... she had hoped that there would be news of any sort by now, but it seemed nothing had changed since Angela had called and told her that Brennan had to undergo surgery... which had been about two hours ago.

She straightened herself, desperately trying to look confident and optimistic, knowing that that was all the help she was able to offer. She walked towards the group and Booth’s head jerked up, confirming her suspicion that he had been only dozing, not sleeping. Zach greeted her, keeping his voice low to not disturb his sleeping colleagues.

“Seeley” She said, giving Booth a wry smile. “Hey Cam.” He gave back, his eyes tired and his voice low.

“Nothing new?” Cam asked softly and he simply shook his head. She sat down next to him and covered his hand with hers briefly. “If you want to talk,... I am here.”

He sighed and nodded. “I know. Thank you.” But he did not say anything else and so they waited in silence together, Zach burying his nose in the magazines, Cam simply observing the people who passed by .... and Booth closed his eyes again and rested his head back against the cold wall once more.

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“Are you here for Temperance Brennan?” A woman asked and Booth literally jumped to his feet. “Yeah.” He choked out, his eyes fixed on the middle-aged doctor. Angela nudged Hodgins until he woke with a big yawn and rubbed his eyes.

The woman introduced herself as Dr. Harp, then started to talk about the woman the group was so obviously concerned about. “When Miss Brennan was brought in, she was septic, her body temperature was very high. The source of the sepsis was a knife wound on her thigh, that had been left untreated. It seems the infection spread very quickly, most likely due to her already weakened constitution and dehydration. We had to remove necrotic tissue from her vastus lateralis.”

Booth looked at her, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. Cam saw his somewhat helpless look and whispered. “An upper thigh muscle.”

Booth swallowed hard, nodded towards her and listened to what the doctor was telling them. “Luckily the infection spread superficial and we were able to preserve most of the muscular tissue. Miss Brennan will have to undergo physiotherapy but with time she should be able to regain full strength and ability to move the leg. We are now giving her antibiotics against the sepsis and infusions to re-stabilise her fluid balance.


“She is going to be alright, then?” Angela wheezed, voicing the thought that coursed through Booth’s brain too.

“If she responds to the medication and stays stable for the next few days her prospects to make a full recovery are very good.” Doctor Harp said and caused the group of people to heave a relieved sigh, almost in unison.

“When.... can we see her?” Booth asked, somewhat cautiously.

The doctor gave him a long look and said. “She should be waking up within the next two hours. I can allow one person to wait with her, but only one. I can’t have the wake-up room and the ICU crowded with people.”

Booth bit his lip and looked at Angela, Brennan’s best friend and after a long moment of silence he forced himself to say: “You should stay with her, Angela.” But the artist only shook her head. “No. You stay with her, Booth. She would want you to be there and I know you’d go crazy if you were not there with her. Just.... make sure to keep us informed, alright?”

Booth sighed, relief showing on his face. He was not quite sure how he would have endured to be kept separated from Bones for longer... so he was really happy that Angela had rejected the offer to stay with Brennan immediately. “Thank you.” He simply said and his tone expressed his gratefulness far more convincing than his words.

Angela hugged him and whispered into his ear, too low for the others to hear. “Tell her how you feel about her. She deserves to know.” She pulled back and winked at him. “And call me!”

“I will.” Booth assured her and gave the other squints a long look. “See you later.”

Cam smiled as she watched him go with the doctor and whispered to Angela. “You think she knows how much he cares about her?”

Angela shrugged. “I don’t know. She is smart, but things like that are not her special field.”

Zach gave them a questioning look and asked. “What are you whispering about?”

“Nothing.” Angela and Cam gave back in unison and Zach frowned. “But.... you were talking.”

“Dude” Hodgins punched him playfully. “Don’t even try. And trust me, sometimes it’s better to not even know what girls are talking about.”

They left the hospital together in a far better mood than ever since Brennan had gone missing.


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