The morning started out like any other morning. Booth pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. He slid out of the SUV with ease and grabbed the two coffees that had been securely riding in the center console.

As he got off the elevator he was greeted by a sight that sent his heart to his throat. The door to her apartment partially open, splintered wood everywhere. He dropped the coffees and drew his weapon. Silently he made his way to the door; entering the apartment, clearing room after room, the contents of every room strewed on the floors, draw after draw dumped out. His heart racing as he entered her bedroom, he was not prepared to see his Bones lying unconscious. "Bones?" he asked as he continued to clear the room, his weapon leveled in front of him. "Bones?" he tried again. He went to the bathroom door, clearing it, then to her large closet, nothing. He dropped down next to her, taking in a deep breath and putting his fingers to her neck to feel for a pulse. Breathing out a sigh of relief she was alive, grabbing his cell, he called for an ambulance, then called Cam.

He knelt beside her, looking down at her almost unrecognizable bruised face. "Hold on baby, hold on." Lightly placing his forehead to hers, I will find out who did this, I promise. You just fight, I can't lose you."

"Hello, Paramedics," Booth heard from the front of the apartment.

"Yeah, back in the last bedroom. Hurry, she is unconscious and has been badly beaten." How could someone have hurt her this bad? She was well skilled in martial arts to defend herself. Booth reluctantly backed away and let the medical personnel do their jobs. Booth just stood staring in shock, watching the paramedics work on her. He felt helpless he couldn't help her, he felt guilty that he didn't protect her, he felt sad that he never told her he loved her. He was still frozen in place as they rolled the gurney out with her on it. He never heard Cam coming, until she was beside him.

"Hey Big Guy, Come on, lets get you out of here. Our team has work to do and you need to be with her." He just looked down at Cam, She gently steered him towards the front of the apartment, he never saw the looks of the squints, he didn't see anything but the gurney disappear through the door. "Charlie, get him to the hospital." Cam asked. Charlie simple nodded and put his arm over Booths shoulder as he guided him out of the apartment.

At the hospital, Booth answered all the questions asked regarding her and her medical history. He never looked at anyone; he was focused and almost unnaturally controlled. Some might call him catatonic, but he was responding to the outside world, just not seeing it. Charlie watched his mentor with concern, he had never seen Booth behave this way and frankly it scared him a little. His body was tense, his jaw clenched, but his eyes were haunted and distant, almost like he had removed himself from this reality.

For Booth he was relying on a long forgotten ability. The ability to remove himself from the situation, a skill he learned when his father would beat him. He had managed to sharpen this skill in the military and during his time as a sniper. No one saw the weak side of Seeley Booth and he wasn't about to start now if he could help it. He didn't realize or care, for that matter, that he was causing concern to Charlie. He just had to get control of himself so he could hunt down the person or persons that did this to his Bones.

Six hours had passed since Bones had been found beaten and unconscious. She was found to have several broken ribs; her fingers on her right hand were broken, along with both the ulna and radius of her right arm. She had deep tissue bruising through out her back and abdominal area. While her facial tissue was damaged she did not suffer any facial fractures. At this stage she was still unconscious and there was no answer as to when she would wake up. She had been moved to Critical Care Unit and Booth was allowed to see her.

Booth walked into her room, the sight of her hooked up to all sorts of machines and wires' coming off her from the monitors was not something he was prepared to see even though he knew in the back of his mind this was normal. It just wasn't something he expected to see his Bones having to go through. He moved to the side by the bed and held her good hand. As he looked at her, his steel exterior started to fall away. His eyes filled with tears and he didn't even bother to fight it anymore. He bent his head down and his body started to convulse with all the sadness, fear, and anger he had been holding in from the moment he found her.

The nursing staff heard his guttural moans, but none of them entered the room. The head nurse came around the corner as her subordinates were frozen in the hall listening to all the pain Booth was releasing. Her eyes darted around to her nurses; she walked with more purpose as she snapped her fingers to get them back to work. She stopped and looked at the door where the sounds were coming from. The pain she heard in his cries tore at her heart.

Nurses slipped in and out checking Brennan's vitals and bandages. They all ignored Booth; they don't think he even realized they were there. He never moved he just stared at her face and held her hand.

At the end of visitation hours and the head nurse came in. "Excuse me, Sir. Visiting hours are over."

Booth shook his head, "I am staying right here."

"Sir, I can't allow you to do that."

Booth stood and turned to the nurse, never letting go of Brennan's hand, "Look I know you have policies, but I am FBI, this is my partner, someone put her here and I am not leaving her alone so they can get to her and finish her off."

"Sir, I….."

"Look, lady no disrespect, but I am not leaving her. You clear it through whomever you have to but…I am not leaving."

"Sir, I can guarantee this hospital is secure…"

"NO WHERE is secure! I am staying, you clear it with your boss or whomever, but I am staying with her. If that isn't okay, then I will take her out of here and don't think I won't." He pulled his gun and put it on the tray next to the bed.

The nurse left the room agitated by this man behavior, but also a little jealous at how protective he was of his partner. Just once she would love to have a man behave that way towards her. She contacted the chief of staff who had, by chance, just got off the phone with Assistant Director Hacker of the FBI. Booth would be allowed to stay with Brennan for however long he saw fit.

The nurse returned. "Sir, my chief of staff has talked to your boss and you are allowed to stay with her." Booth nodded "I'll have housekeeping digging up a recliner for you; it would be more comfortable than that chair."

"Thank you"

"Just one more thing," Booth turned a warning eye on her. "You need to make sure you eat, you will not do her any good if you are killing yourself and I know you have not left her side since she got here." Booth never acknowledged her; he just turned his attention back to his Bones. The nurse watched the two for a moment and then silently slipped out of the room.

Booth had been by Bone's bedside for two days, he had not left, not even to get food. The head nurse had made sure food was brought in, but it was never touched. The nurses tried to talk with him; they pleaded with him and by now most were scared of him. He never spoke to them; he only glared sending chills down their spines. The head nurse who could hold her own against most anyone and was a veteran of war even back away from him. She finally called his boss, not knowing where else to turn, but knowing if something wasn't done soon, they would have 2 patients.

Hacker had called Cam, he knew that she had a long history with Booth and figured if anyone could get through to him it would be her. Cam was taken back by the Booth she saw when she walked in. His disheveled look was shocking, but the disturbing look in his eye is what worried her. She knew she was not dealing with the Seeley she knew, she was dealing with a much more dangerous version, an uncontrolled version that would be out for revenge, not justice.

"Seeley, we need to talk." He turned and glared at her. "Those looks might scare the nurses, but you know it isn't going to work on me. I see that look, I know you want revenge on the person that did this," she motioned towards Brennan. "But, what would she want?" He turned his eyes back to Brennan's motionless form, then to Cam. "You know she would want justice. You can't just go all rogue and hunt this person down. You have to get her justice, not end up locked away, what good would you be to her there? She needs you, even if she won't admit it and if you go for revenge you will be abandoning her like everyone else." His jaw twitched and his leg started to bounce as he was trying to control his emotions. "Let it out, Seeley," Cam said as she moved towards him with opened arms. He collapsed into her arms and clung to her.

Once he pulled back, Cam looked at him and crossed her arms. "Now you are going go home, take a shower you need one, and you will eat. I do not want to see you back here until this evening." Booth was about to protest, "I will call you if there is any change, she will not be alone. Angela, Hodgins, Wendel, Sweets, and I will take turns staying with her. Now go, get out of here, your SUV is outside the main entrance, I had Charlie bring it over," she tossed him the keys.

Booth leaned down and kissed Brennan's forehead, "I will be back later, I promise." He squeezed her hand before Cam started to shoo him from the room.