Disclaimer:
Me: Sooooooooo... I have a new idea for a Booth and Brennan fanfiction. A series of one-shot chapters...
Bonnie: Yayyy! I love Booth and Bones!
Me: Me too... Anyways it's what I think would've been sweet if this had happened in the last episode with Howard Epps. You know the one where he falls over the railing and dies which inevitably leads Booth to shoot the clown on the ice-cream truck. Which I thought was awesome since clowns are creepy.
Bonnie: Yes they are. And I'm excited, buuuuuuttttttt Anieeeeeeeesssshhhhwwaaaaaa doesn't own Booth, Brennan, or anything pertaining to the original ideas of the writers and creators of Bones. She does however own the ending to this scenario, and *dramatic sigh* me.
BRENNAN'S POV:
"No! Bones please oh please God no!" Booth yelled in the distance. I coughed and seized, as pain ripped through me. It felt as if the oxygen was being ripped from each individual cell in my body...
12 Hours Earlier
"Booth. It's not Epps. This is the body of one of the firefighters. Booth Epps is gone. Booth he's gone." I said as panic flooded my voice.
"You need to lock this down now!" Booth said to the warden, before turning to face me. As he spoke I had stood up so the second he turned to face me his arm found it's way around my shoulders; guiding me out of the cell. I quivered a bit at the feel of his touch, and he pulled me closer assuming it was from fear. He kept me close as he led me from the jail and into his car.
Soon we were in the car heading back to F.B.I. headquarters, talking about what we're going to say to Caroline Epps when we got there. Even though Booth was confident that we could help her, I knew it wouldn't be that easy. She was stubborn, and if we're being honest, not all that intelligent, which meant that common sense wouldn't work. Trying to reason with her wasn't going to be easy or fun, and I was getting a headache just thinking about it.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and winced at my own actions, instead moving my hands to my temples; my face scrunched in pain. Even though I was releasing the pressure on my head it still ached terribly as the worst scenarios flashed through my mind. I was faintly aware of a hand on my shoulder and somebody speaking in the distance, but my head hurt so bad I couldn't focus; let alone take any comfort from the soothing hand. Booth rubbed my shoulder moving his hand down my shoulder to rub my back a little. My skin burned everywhere he touched and that with my combined headache made it impossible to think about anything except Booth.
"Caroline you and Epps were married. Odds are you're next! You need to let us protect you!" Booth yelled.
"Agent Booth, I moved. I got a new job, a new apartment, and divorced Howard. I've even gotten a new boyfriend, and he doesn't know about Howard. I have someone who doesn't go "That's the wife of that serial killer". I'd like to keep it that way." she said sadly.
"We all have secrets; things in our past that we don't want the people we love to know. I get that, trust me I keep a secret from my friends day to day, but Caroline I highly doubt that this secret is worth your life. Besides we found you didn't we? That means it's highly likely that Howard will also be able to locate you." I said as I gently touched her arm trying to comfort her.
"I'm sorry you have to keep that uhm secret, even though it's obvious even if he, I mean they don't notice. I'm going home now, preferably without police protection." she said as she left.
"Booth! You can't let her just leave, she will undoubtedly be next." I said heatedly.
"Bones I can't force protection on her if she doesn't want it. The sheriff is going to drive by her house every two hours to make sure she's safe ok? Anyways what was she talking about?" Booth said reassuringly transforming into a question.
"Nothing important. I need to get back to the lab. I'll talk to you when we get a lead." I said turning and leaving before he could pursue the subject anymore.
"So anyways there's really nothing except for the recipe. Nothing else is even useful into figuring out anything else. There's no DNA, no teeth, no tissue, no nothing. I couldn't tell you anything about this person if I was superwoman. Who techinically was nothing more than a fiction comic book character, but still. You get the point." I said thoroughly ticked off.
"Bones chill. We'll catch him. I promise one way or another we'll get him." Booth said putting a hand on my shoulder.
"You don't know that Booth. You can't know that." I said tearing up a bit before going into my office. I heard Booth start to come after me, but Angela stopped him and said "Let me. Trust me she's fixing to need a girlfriend."
I walked into my office and pushed the door shut behind me, but Angela being so tall had already caught up to me and stopped it. She walked into the office, pushed the door closed with a click, and sat on the couch across from the chair I was in.
"Sweetie, what was that back there? I know you're upset, but did you really have to get so...so...so snappy? Brennan talk to me." Angela said in that sweet, sympathetic voice she has.
I looked over at her and opened my mouth to say something, and then started sobbing. Sobbed and sobbed into my legs before Angela had her arms around me hugging me. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I finally calmed down. She gently asked me what was going on.
"Nothing. Everything...? I don't know. Just this frustrates me so much, and then Caroline said something to me when we talked to her, and then she might be next, and... ugh I just don't know." I said in an exasperated rush.
"Ok. Sweetie, first of all breathe. Everything will work out with Epps. It has to. Secondly if Caroline IS killed it wasn't your fault. She refused protection. Thirdly what the heck did she say to you to have you all upset?" Angela said calm at first, but voice clouded with defensive anger at the end.
"Look I'm not good at emotions. I know that and so do all of you. I tried to reason with Caroline, told her we all have secrets and that I keep one from my friends day to day. I admitted that in front of Booth to try to level with Caroline. It didn't work, but before she left she was like 'Sorry you have to keep that secret. It's obvious even if he, I mean they don't notice.' I'm HORRIBLE with emotions so me boxing them up and hiding my feelings for...certain people, keep me happy. If I act oblivious then I can't be rejected and hurt. Then Caroline said all that and it frightened me. Now I'm scared that Booth will know, and he can't because if he did he'd reject me. He's been trying to ask me what she was talking about, but I keep changing the subject and running." I said in a rush.
"Sweetie, Booth wouldn't reject you IF he knew. And the fact that he keeps bringing it up means he probably doesn't know. Besides, for the two of you to love each other so much you're both really oblivious." she said as I chuckled.
"Anyways we should get back to work Ange, and I'm not sure you know what you're talking about with the both of us loving each other but I'll ignore it and move on. Thank you." I said hugging her before walking out of my office.
As I walked I kind of started to daydream, but shook my head and walked over to Booth. He was on the phone and looked like crap. He was shaking his head and looked at me as I came closer to him. "Caroline." he mouthed. As soon as he was off the phone he explained that Caroline hadn't answered the door for the sheriff and we were going to go check on her just for safety's measure.
When we arrived at her apartment I noticed that her car was here, she should've answered the door. We went into the apartment after knocking several times. Upon entry we saw that there was almost nothing in the place. The lights were out, but I noticed the refrigerator was still running. I pointed this out so Booth had me stay back and he opened the door. He turned and kicked the wall as Caroline's decapitated head came into view.
I was tired. I couldn't believe that this had happened and to make matters worse I was going to have to deal with Caroline's head because Cam had to go somewhere. Booth kept pushing me to open the head and to "screw protocol" and after awhile I was so tired and my head hurt so much that my resistance wore down.
Zac was with me to help if I needed it and he stood at the other end of the silver morgue table. I took the saw and started right under some bruising I had noticed on Caroline's forehead. As I sawed across I got about half way across her forehead before I heard glass break and I was choking.
I was on the ground convulsing, unable to breathe. Zac came near me and I screamed in a raspy voice "No! Mask! M-mask! Z-Zac m-mask, a-alarm!"
He pulled the chemical spill alarm -it was the closest next to him aside from the fire alarm- and put a mask over his face. I started shaking with an alarming force, and soon Booth, Hodgins, and Angela were outside the sealed doors yelling. Zac screamed for Hodgins to get a medic, and he ran dragging Angela with him because she was crying as she watched me convulse on the ground.
Then the wailing of the alarm dimmed in my ears and my eyes fluttered as darkness started to consume me. "No! Bones please oh please God no!" Booth yelled in the distance. I coughed and seized, as pain ripped through me. It felt as if the oxygen was being ripped from each indivual cell in my body. The darkness suddenly thickened as I let go hurting, exhausted, and unable to breathe I gave up. As I slipped under I felt Booth's arms setting my head into his lap, and the medics start to intubate me.
I was faintly aware of machines beeping and a mask covering my face. A hand that was way too familiar for it to have only touched me about four times ever, was also on my arm. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking at the sting from the bright lights, and saw Booth asleep in a chair next to me. I took my tape covered, IV hand and gently put it over the hand he had laid on my arm.
The moment I touched his arm his eyes flew open and he leaned forward to see me. The moment it registered that I was awake, tears sprung into his eyes, and his grip moved to my hand and tightened.
"Booth?" I said in a raspy whisper that was barely audible.
"Oh thank God. I was so scared you wouldn't wake up. Bones what happened?" he asked worredly.
"I started cutting open Caroline's head. I was covering for Cam she had an errand or family problems or something. I got about half way across her forehead before I thought I heard glass breaking. As soon as I heard it, I was on the ground gasping for breath. I couldn't breathe, and it hurt so bad. I felt like someone was pulling the oxygen out of each of my individual cells. I don't know if that was a powder or glass or what." I explained shivering as I remembered the pain.
"There was no trace of any poison on your clothes and Zac told Hodgins about the glass. They're running it, but so far it hasn't matched anything. There's plaster dust in the mix and Hodgins said that is probably the reason we haven't gotten anything. We're trying to find another clue other than the napkin." he said thoughtfully.
"Napkin? What napkin?" I asked confused.
"He went after Parker. There was a coin in Caroline's ear that came from the park he plays at everyday after school. He gave him a napkin saying 'My name is Parker ask me how I can solve this case', but he didn't say anything to Parker except that he was my friend." he said upset.
"Oh God. Booth I'm sorry. If I had just found something in Caroline's head, I could've helped. Darn it! Ugh! I'm so stupid!" I said hitting myself in the forehead repeatedly. Booth grabbed my hand and held onto it, stopping me from hitting myself again.
"You are in no way stupid. Em (AN: Nickname for tEMperance) you are the smartest person I know. Do not beat yourself up over this, it's not your fault. And there was nothing else in her head, the only thing trace wise was the poison and a ton of plaster dust. Em breathe. I hate seeing you like this, it kills me." he said holding my face with his hand.
"Why? Why do you hate it. I mean I could understand disliking it. I would dislike it very much to see Angela in this kind of pain, but I don't think it would eat me alive, so much as upset me." I mused a bit confused. (AN:It rhymes!)
"I love you. Aren't you ever going to realize that. I'm in love with you Em and it kills me to see you one: beating yourself up, and two: to see you in a hospital bed. I hate the fact that you're hurt, and that I could have, SHOULD have stopped it." he said putting his other hand on the other side of my cheek.
"I love you too. That's what Caroline had been talking about. She said it was obvious even if you didn't see it. I love you too." I said as tears poured over. He gently wiped them away with his thumb before leaning in and kissing me. It was gentle at first but became more desperate until I pulled away gasping for air. He smiled as he kissed my forehead.
"Sleep Em." were the last words I heard before dozing off in his arms.