This fanfiction is called Hope.. it is the first fanfiction I wrote and it was intended to be a shortie, but exploded to over 30 chapters, if I am not mistaken... I am going to put all the chapters up, but it may take a while ;)

As I already mentioned occiasonally, I am from Austria and my first language is german... so please just overlook the mistakes that sureley are in my stories ;)

Chapter 1
„Of closed cases and fan mail"

Booth knocked on Brennan's appartment door, clutching a bag with Wong Fo's food. He waited, but nothing happened. He knocked again. „Bones, I know you are there." he said. „I've got food. I just thought – mhm – well we could celebrate the case we closed today?" he added. „Bones?" he asked again, louder now.

There was a sound from the inside of the apartment. He heard slow, scuffling steps moving near the door. He frowned at the sound. Slow and scuffling? That was so NOT Bones. Usually she was absolute determined, resolute and would never admit weakness.

He heard her fumbling with the lock for some time and finally she opened the door. He was shocked. She was extremely pale with cold sweat on her forehead and her hands trembling. No, he had to correct himself, she is trembling – her whole body. She wore a grey bath robe and her hair seemed to be wet.

„Bones!" he said. „What's wrong? You look terrible!" She managed a half-grin „Well, I FEEL terrible, you know" she whispered with a surprisingly weak voice. She swayed and he tossed the bag away and stepped forward, catching her. Booth scooped her up and carried her to her couch, carefully helping her to lay down. „Thank you" she managed to say. „Can I get you something?" Booth asked „Water, maybe?". She nodded and he went to the kitchen.
When he came back with the water, he sat down beside her and looked down at her. „I guess I have never seen you ill, Bones".

„Booth, this is not normal!" she said, after sipping a bit of water.
„Hey, Bones, even you have to fall ill sometimes – that's life!" he answered.
„No, Booth, you don't understand. This is NOT normal. I felt okay all the day. You have seen me about 3 hours ago and I was fine, remember?" she said, massaging her aching temples. Booth nodded „Yeah, right!" „Booth," she continued „I felt well until about 20 or 30 minutes ago - this is going too fast – that can't be normal. "

Booth's eyes narrowed. „What where you doing, Bones?"
„Well, I came home from the lab about an hour ago and took a shower. Then I had a look at my mail and suddenly I felt so odd and I had to sit down" she reported feebly. „I really don't understand what happened. All seemed normal, until..." suddenly she stopped. Her eyes widened and she slowly lifted her left hand. There was a thin, but red line on the palm. Even as she stared at it, she felt, how hot the palm felt. Not only hot, feverish.
„The mail..." she whispered.

„What do you mean?" Booth asked. She cleared her throat and answered slowly „I guess this wasn't really fan mail". She showed him the red line on her palm. He reached for it to examine it, but she screamed „ No, don't touch me, you could get infected".
He shrugged „Bones, I have already touched you. You did not levitate to the couch, you are not one of the X-men." He expected her to answer with a „I don't understand that", but she did not answer. Obviously she was too weak – and that scared the hell out of him.
„What did you mean with 'it wasn't fan mail', Bones?"
She closed her eyes and than blinked, forcing herself to concentrate. She made a vague gesture towards the kitchen table. „The mail. I got a parcel with a present in it. A glass pyramide. I was wondering why someone would send me a glass pyramide, especially such an ugly one. The attached note read 'from your biggest fan". It had a sharp edge, that's how I got that cut" she lifted her palm again. Could it be possible, that the cut had become even redder? Her vision blurred and she blinked again.

Booth rose and went over to the kitchen table to examine the glass pyramide. „Don't touch it" Temperance warned him. He gave her a disapprovingly look „Bones, maybe I am not as smart as you are, but I am not a complete idiot. You might have forgotten, but I am FBI, I do know how to treat a piece of evidence." The only reaction was, that she closed her eyes again. He had never seen her like that: weak, exhausted. It made him feel very uncomfortable. I really care for her, he thought.
„Bones, do you have a clean bag somewhere?" he asked, now in a softer voice.
„Mhm" she murmured „Drawer, left side of the sink."
He opened the drawer, took out the bags and quickly put the pyramide and the note in two bags – careful not to touch them.

„Booth" he heard her low voice. „Yeah, coming" he answered and hurried back to her.
„Booth, I think you have to inform the FBI. They will have to examine all that. And I guess I have to be put in quarantine once again. You too, I fear. This is no virus I have ever heard of." Brennan said. Booth nodded, he took out his mobile phone and made the calls. He knew, the FBI would inform the epidemic prevention team.

He reached over to Brennan and took her right hand, it felt hot, sweaty and limp. „Don't" she said. „It's okay, Temperance" he said. And so they waited in silence.

Suddenly there was a ringing. „My mobile" she sighed „It's in my jacket." she told Booth. He got up to get the mobile, then handed it over to her. She answered „Brennan" in a low voice. It was Angela. Booth could hear every word.

„Hey, sweetie! Guess what, we just got a call from the FBI. There is a medical emergency somewhere; they fear there could be an epidemic, so we have to share the lab to find out what's going on, 'cause we got the best equipment. They said, after the descrïption they got, it might be a completely unknown virus; I thought you might be interested in that. You want to come over?" she chattered. Brennan cleard her throat: „Ange, I can't come. You know, that medical emergency – uhm – that's me!".

„WHAT?" Angela screamed. Brennan blinked and then passed the mobile on to Booth „Explain, please." she whispered, a pleading expression on her face.

He took the phone „Hi, Angela, here's Booth." „Booth? What happened ... wait, what are you doing at Brennan's?" Angela asked.
„Is that important now?" he shot back. „Listen, Angela. I came here about half an hour ago and Bones was already ill. We think someone sent her a so-called present to infect her with that unknown virus. She cut her hand, so the stuff could easily go directly into her blood – and I guess that was the intention. The epedemic prevention team should be here soon. I guess we are going to be put under quarantine. Please do your best to help solve that. Bones doesn't really look good, you know? This is serious, Angela. And don't think of coming here – you can help us more if you stay at the lab." He heard footsteps on the stair, he knew they were coming. „They are here now, Angela, I'll give you an up-date as soon as I know more, okay?" He said.
„Uhm, okay, tell Bren, I'll pray for her" Angela stammered. Booth managed a smile „She is going to ask „for what purpose", you know that!" „I know. Booth, just... please take care of her, okay? Angela answered. „I will" Booth said and hang up. He looked at Brennan's sweaty, pale face and thought 'I'll do my best'.

Then the door was opened. '3 Darth Vaders' he thought, when he watched the three people coming in, masked and in the protection overalls. He looked down at Brennan. Her eyes were closed and he knew, she had fallen unconscious.