A/N: This fiction takes place after 'The Sinful Rose'. I guess you could call it a sequel. Sully is in this fiction, although he doesn't play a huge part. Please don't ask me where Booth is--I'll explain that in the next chapter.
Title: The Goldilocks Murders
Rating: 'T' for Teens (for now)
Teaser: The mysterious Black Baccara rose is back in a new case. How do the remains found in the woods outside of DC fit together with the mad man who held Booth and Brennan captive? How has Booth, Brennan and Saroyan dealt with their emotions and fear? Find out next, on… 'The Goldilocks Murders'.
Disclaimer: As always, BONES does not belong me. Views expressed within this fiction do not necessarily reflect those of Gold Wolf Productions, any of our affiliates or myself.lotline © WolfMyjic 2007.
The characters in this fiction are fictional. Any similarities between them and real people are completely coincidental.
Shout out to: Goldy for beta'ing this. And to Skylin, a friend of mine who's supposed to be working her way through my fics.
Prologue:
The late winter sun filtered down through the bare tree limbs and pooled between shadows on the dried leaves. Bird songs filled the air as daytime animals began to settle in for the night and nighttime creatures started off in search of their nightly meals. A cold wind blew through the woods, circling its way around all living things, and encasing them in a blanket of winter freeze. The surreal image of the forest was broken, however, by the heavy footfall of a child. The girl ran through the trees, weaving one-way and then another. Her pale face was red and sticky from crying, and her blonde hair was knotted and twisted with twigs and underbrush. She chanced a glance over her shoulder, stumbled and then increased her pace. A sob mixed with fear escaped from her lips as a root reached out and grabbed at her feet. The girl put out her hands to break her fall, then quickly got back to her feet, leaving traces of blood on the ground, and began on her way again. Her heart raced under her ribs, and pounded in her ears, drowning out all other sounds. The wind beat at her face-- drying the newly fallen tears.
The sun floated lower over the woods, and the sky was streaked with pink and purple. The girl looked back over her shoulder once more to scan what may be following her. A scream filled the air as she turned back around and came face to face with her hunter.
Three years later…"I don't have time," Doctor Temperance Brennan said, her pace never slowing as she made her way through the halls of the Jeffersonian.
"Come on, Tempe, just take a look for me," Sully pleaded to her retreating back.
"I have a stack of paperwork on my desk, Sully," she told him-- her boots clicking on the floor as she walked. "I have a deadline with my novel that has my editor breathing down my neck. I promised Angela to go out to lunch with her."
"It'll only take a moment of your time. Four hours there, and four hours back. Please? As a favor?" When Brennan's pace continued, Sully decided to play the low blow card. "Tempe, it's a child." That stopped her feet. She slowly turned on her heels to face the agent, the folder she was reading dropping to her side. She studied his face for a moment before nodding.
"Fine," she said. "As a favor, but," she continued when he moved to speak. "Until Booth returns, I'm not working any new cases. I'll give you my opinion but that's it. I won't order my team to run any tests or to help you in any way. If they want to, fine, but this won't be an official case for them."
"Deal." Brennan gave a curt nod, before she continued her way down the hall.
"Give me five minutes," she said before disappearing through the sliding doors into the Medico-Legal Labs.
Brennan sat in Angela's office laughing at her best friend. "It's not funny," the artist insisted, but Brennan's laughter never faltered.
"You? The Obedient?" Brennan managed to get out.
"Hey, I said if I was a nun," Angela defended. "If you think that's funny, why don't we just check your name? You want to be a lady, a Viking, a nun or a peasant?"
"Umm, a Viking." Brennan watched as Angela typed in her name on her computer and then smiled.
"You would have been Giaflaug the Fierce. Not much different than you today. Fierce, I mean."
"What about Hodgins?" Brennan asked, popping another chip into her mouth.
"We'll make him a peasant," Angela said as she typed. After a second, one of her hands flew to her mouth to cover a laugh. "Folkbern the Court Jester." Brennan joined in with the laughter. "Let's do Booth. After all, he is your knight."
"Angela," Brennan warned.
"Sorry. Oh, look, he would be Longshanks the Brave Knight. Now tell me that doesn't fit him?" Brennan shook her head but couldn't deny it. I made Zack a monk. He would be Gundobad the Protector."
"Zack?" Angela nodded and Brennan watched as her eyes went wide. "What is it?"
"Booth's Viking name is Osfrid," Angela answered. "Osfrid the Fierce Ruler. I bet you two would have been partners even back then."
"What are you two doing?" Sully asked from the open doorway.
"Looking at what our Dark Ages character would be," Angela answered.
"What are you doing here?" Brennan asked, as the agent entered the office.
"Hodgins called," he told her. "Wanted me to meet him here."
"He was bored earlier," Angela filled in. "Ran some tests on the samples Brennan brought back from the remains."
"Well, I have some work to finish up," Brennan said. "Thank you for lunch, Ange."
"Anytime, Sweetie."
"I think you'll want to stay, Dr. Brennan," Hodgins said, walking in and drawing everyone's attention to him.
"I'm not working this case," Brennan reminded him.
"Oh, I think you might rethink that. You know the trace amount of black substance you brought back?" Brennan nodded. "Well, I ran it through some tests. One of the main ingredients in it is the Black Baccara rose."
"What?" Sully asked when both Brennan and Angela stopped their movements and looked up at Hodgins with wide eyes. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Angela started, "that we just got pulled into this case."
"It also means we need to find Booth," Brennan threw in.
"Sorry, Tempe, no can do," Sully said. "Booth is on vacation still for the next two weeks. Nobody knows where he went. Anyway, he left orders for nobody to contact him. I know it's hard, but you're stuck with me."
"No," Brennan said with a shake of her head. "You don't understand. We worked a case a while back that included the Black Baccara. Technically, it's still Booth's case."
"Even if we did know where he was," Sully told her. "Do you think he'll come back early? He didn't tell you where he was going, Tempe. He doesn't want to be bothered with cases."
"You just find out where he's at," Brennan told him. "I'll get him back."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because you owe me a favor, and I'm cashing in." The two stood toe-to-toe daring the other one, until finally Sully admitted defeat.
"Fine," he said. "I'll see what I can do."
find your Dark Ages Character at history(dot)com. click on Games.