Here's "K" in the Alphabet series. I seem to be on a bit of a melancholy kick at the moment. Bones gets kidnapped and Booth deals with the aftermath. A bit angsty. I don't own them. Wish I did. Please enjoy and review!
Four days.
Four unbearable days.
96 painful hours.
5760 minutes in which he couldn't breathe.
345600 seconds without her, not knowing if she was alive or dead.
And now he had her in his arms. Beaten, bloody, her hair lopped off and her lips cracked with dehydration. But she was alive. Her heart was beating hard against his chest as he cradled her to him. Her tears were real as they dripped onto the skin of his neck. The smell of dust and blood and urine was real as he gently caressed her hair and inhaled the essence of her deeply. He needed to convince his panicked brain that this was not a dream. The sounds surrounding them blurred to nothingness as he took a moment to just holdher.
"Booth?" she asked, her voice broken and shaky. She sounded exhausted. And traumatized. She was clinging to him with a desperation he'd never experienced from her before. It furrowed his brow with concern. Just what had she been through these last four days? If he hadn't already shot dead the man that had taken her he'd kill him again. He felt anger course through him as he remembered finding out Bones had been taken. A text message from her phone. That was it. And after countless calling, bringing in the FBI, and the squints they'd discovered the ransom on her.
He blocked all further thoughts from his mind as he scooped Bones into his arms and stood. He would deal with all of that emotion later. Right now he was going to take care of his partner, his best friend. His heart hurt as it was overwhelmed with emotion for her. He held her tighter and clenched his jaw when he felt her shivering.
"I'm right here, Bones." He whispered against her hair. He carried her over to the EMT van to have her checked out.
He stood by her as she was jabbed, prodded and poked. His eyes held hers and his hand kept hers safe and warm in his grasp. He knew she was scared. He was scared too. He just wanted to take her back to his place and keep her safe. But he also knew that she had to be checked over to make sure that nothing was broken and no permanent damage had been done. When they were finished he bundled her into his car and drove. He wasn't even aware of where he was driving to; he just had to clear his head. From time to time he glanced at her. She was calm at least and she didn't seem too bothered by his lack of direction. Instead, she was leaning back against the headrest, her eyes half open, watching out the window.
Finally Booth took the turnoff that led to his place. Parking, he let the engine cool for a minute before speaking.
"You alright, Temperance?" He asked softly. His eyes met hers and he gave her a gentle smile. She blinked slowly, and Booth could see the exhaustion there.
"Yes." She said finally. Her voice was still hoarse and Booth recognized the sound as that of someone who had been screaming for hours. He'd heard it in many kidnapping victims.
"Lets go upstairs and get you cleaned up, ok?" He made sure that he was giving her the choice. He didn't want to force her into anything right now. She'd been traumatized and he wasn't about to add to that. Brennan nodded, wincing slightly at a pain in her neck.
Booth climbed out of the car and went around to open her door. Helping her from the car he saw the bruises on her arms. He bit back a growl and very gently eased her to her feet. She was tentative in her movements but allowed him to lead her upstairs. She even allowed him to hold open the door for her.
"You hungry?" He asked, moving to the kitchen. A though struck him. "Did he feed you at all Bones? You must be starving!" He started ferreting in the fridge, looking for food for her.
"I am hungry," she was leaning against the arm of his sofa, watching him with tired eyes. "I would really like to get clean, Booth." She confessed apologetically. She knew that he was trying to take care of her and that he had been worried but she felt tired and dirty and just wanted to wash away the memories of everything that had happened.
"Shit!" Booth swore, realizing that of course she would want to get cleaned up. "Of course, Bones. I'll get you some clean clothes to wear. Do you want to shower or have a bath?"
"A shower would be fine," Bones agreed. She didn't say it, but the thought of wallowing in her own dirty water repulsed her at that moment. She wanted to see every trace of her experience, every trace of himwashed down the drain.
"Of course. I'll get you some towels." He went to his room and grabbed out a pair of cotton boxers and a soft white t-shirt. He then went to the linen closet and grabbed some towels. Coming back into the living room he handed them to her. "Call if you need anything, ok?"
"Thank you Booth." Taking the towels and clothes, Brennan went into the bathroom and shut the door softly behind her.
Booth went into a bit of a frenzy after that. He heard the water turn on and his instincts took over. He started digging around in his fridge for something for her to eat. He found left over pizza and heated it up. Then he put some Mac and cheese on the stove to heat up. There was sandwich stuff that he put on the counter for her to choose from. And then he waited. The water was still running and after 15 minutes he started to get worried. Walking over to the bathroom door he knocked and waited.
"Bones?" He called. He heard the water shut off.
"Yes?"
"You alright in there?" He felt stupid for asking, but he couldn't hide his concern.
"I'm fine. I'll be out shortly." Her voice was slightly muffled and Booth was fairly sure she'd been crying.
"Ok, well there's food on the table when you get out. You want a beer?" He worked hard, keeping his voice light.
"Do you have any tea?"
"Yeah. I'll make some now."
Booth went back to the kitchen, turning on the kettle. He grabbed himself a beer and swigged it deeply. He was nervous, scared that he was going to hurt her or scare her or push her the wrong way. But he knew that she needed him right now.
"This is too much food." Her voice surprised him and he turned, startled. His mouth fell open as he took her in. She looked amazing in his boxers. Her long legs stuck out from the baggy cuffs. His t-shirt was also swimming on her making her look small and vulnerable.
"I wasn't sure what you'd want." He admitted.
"A sandwich would be fine." She moved to make one.
"I'll put it together Bones, you relax." He passed her the tea and motioned for her to sit at the bench. "What do you want on it?"
"Anything is fine."
"PB and J?" Booth waved the jar at her playfully.
"Yes, that is fine." She accepted the sandwich and took a bite. Booth's eyebrows rose as he watched her demolish the sandwich. He quickly made another and passed it over.
"Take it easy there Bones. You'll make yourself sick."
"I'm sorry. I'm hungry." She looked embarrassed. Booth chastised himself. He was being an ass.
"Its ok. Just, eat slower." He made himself a sandwich so that she wouldn't eat alone and they sat there in companionable silence, eating. Booth's eyes lingered on his partner. He was taking in her expressions, her movements, judging what pain she was in, if she needed anything.
"Booth you are making me tense." Brennan finally admitted.
"Sorry Bones. I missed you is all." Booth tried to pass of his concern with a nonchalant shrug. She nodded and finished the last of her tea. Booth tidied up, still unable to keep his eyes from his partner.
"You tired?" He asked when he was finished. He knew she was. She was falling asleep where she sat. But something in her was making her force herself awake. It was as though she didn't want to sleep.
"I suppose." She stifled a yawn.
"You can sleep in my bed, Bones. I'll take the couch." He led her to his room, flicking on the light and making sure the bed was neat. He hadn't exactly been planning on her staying here, it had just happened, and he had to kick a dirty pair of underwear under the bed. Besides, he wasn't going to let her be anywhere without him there to protect her. He pulled back the blankets for her and stepped back.
"Have a good night sleep Bones." He said with a smile.
"Thank you Booth." She said sincerely, looking up at him. Booth couldn't help himself. She looked so vulnerable, her eyes so big. He ran a hand through her shaggy hair.
"Why did he cut your hair Bones?" He hated himself for asking, knowing that it would bring bad memories for her but he needed to know.
"He said that I was too beautiful. He did it to make me ugly." She looked away. Booth twisted his finger gently through her hair.
"He was an idiot then." He whispered.
"What? Why?" Bones looked at him quizzically.
"Because you're still beautiful Temperance." He gave her a loving smile, wishing he could hide his feelings. He quickly stroked her cheek and gestured to the bed. "Go to sleep Bones. You'll feel better in the morning." He turned to leave.
"Booth!" Her voice stopped him. There was terror there and he froze upon hearing it. He turned back to her. "Will you stay? I don't want to be alone."
Who was Booth to deny her? He nodded and slid into the bed. Bones climbed in beside him and snuggled up against him. Booth wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly. He didn't question her need to hold him or be held. He just wanted to comfort her.
"Its ok baby," he whispered, hoping she would ignore his endearment. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He placed a gentle kiss to her head and breathed her in. She was so soft against him. He felt his groin responding and he frowned at himself. Now was NOT the time for that.
He felt her drift off to sleep and allowed himself to relax. It was late and he was tired too. His whole body had been tense, worrying about his partner. He gave in to sleep and drifted off holding her.
It was her screams that woke him. That and her nails digging into his chest. His eyes flew open and he sat up, giving her a gentle shake to wake her.
"Bones! Wake up! Temperance. It's alright!" He wiped the tears away from her eyes. She woke gasping, struggling against him, her arms flailing as she tried to escape.
"No! NO!" She struggled helplessly.
"Its me Temperance. Its me, Booth." He tried to get her to recognise him. He loosened his hold on her just a little bit, but not enough to let her roll away.
"Booth?" Her eyes finally focussed on him.
"Yeah baby, its me. You're all right. Its ok." He spoke nonsensical words to her, trying to calm her.
"I thought I was back there!" She whimpered, completely helpless. Booth's heart broke and he pulled her to him. He hated that bastard for what he'd done to her.
"You aren't Bones. You're right here with me and you're safe. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe." He kept repeating it, hoping to convince himself as well as her. Because that was what he'd learnt from this. Neither of them was ever really safe. There was always going to be some psycho out there trying to kill one or both of them. But he wasn't going to think about that right then. He was going to think about his partner who was warm and safe in his arms.
"Every time I close my eyes I feel like I'm back there," she admitted softly.
"I know. But I'm here now. Just hold onto me Bones. I promise to make it better." He kissed her forehead softly, his hand running down her back gently. He felt her settle against him again. It was a long time before she fell asleep. Booth kept his eyes open, kept his nose buried in her hair, his hand on her back. He would keep her safe. It was his job. He would stay there with her as long as it took for her to be alright.
Four days.
Four unbearable days.
96 painful hours.
5760 minutes in which he couldn't breathe.
345600 seconds without her, not knowing if she was alive or dead.
And now she was here and in his arms.
He was never letting her go again.
There you go. Hope you liked it. I have already started writing L in my head. It will be a bit of a longer one I think, as there is quite a story behind it. So may take me a couple of days but I am getting started on it first thing tomorrow. Keep an eye out for it. It's called "Lists". Please review!