Sweets Earns His Nickel-Chapter 2

I was considering making this story a one-shot, but since I have some people following me, I'll extend the story a bit. Warning: it's going to get more angsty before it gets better. However, since I'm not much of a writer, the story will be short, and there will be hope at the end.

Oh yeah, I don't own Bones. As if.

Christopher Pelant was not only an evil genius, but he managed to get other brilliant people to help him. Somehow he managed to conceal the fact that he would eventually kill his helpers. The latest of these assistants was a biochemist who had concocted an aerosol that could, with care, be confined to impacting just one person or a small group of people. The effects were mainly on emotional stability and clarity of thought processes, and Pelant's target was Temperance Brennan. Pelant managed to time the dispersal of the aerosol just before she reached the 7 mile marker on the hiking trail. At the concentration Pelant was using, the spray was active for 24 hours once it entered the body, but would disperse from the air within minutes.

As strong minded as Temperance was, the aerosol was stronger, and by the time she met Booth at the diner she was, in common parlance, "loaded for bear". Booth knew something was off as soon as he saw her, and she had already been shaken since the severing of their engagement (despite having figured out that it was Pelant inspired).

"You have some nerve" she said in a penetrating voice "asking both Rebecca and Hannah to marry you and refusing to marry me. We've been living together for Heaven's sake. Especially after you put me through hell watching you with that blonde bimbo for months! Although come to think of it, I don't know why I ever thought I wanted to marry someone whose IQ is so much below mine! I certainly didn't do Christine any genetic favors by having you as her father. I should just leave the two of you and get out. She kept on in the same style and just wouldn't shut up.

Booth, of course, was furious, at least at first. It occurred to him almost immediately, however, that this behavior was completely out of character for his beloved, and he became seriously worried, especially since she kept on and on saying pretty much the same thing for half an hour-definitely NOT Brennan-like behavior. He excused himself to go to the bathroom (and Temperance almost followed him in there), and discreetly called Cam. Cam, Angela, and Hodgins somehow managed to get her home, but not without the use of Booth's badge; Brennan kept noisily claiming that she was being kidnapped. Sure enough, when Cam drew some of Brennan's blood, she could tell that something was amiss, but it wasn't anything that she (or anyone she knew for that matter) had seen before. Just in case, Cam sent the blood to the CDC. Fortunately, unlike in Aratsoo's case, Brennan did not seem to be in any physical danger, but she was certainly in no condition to work, or for that matter, to be around people. There was no known antidote, and it was feared that a sedative might react unfavorably with whatever substance was affecting her. However, since no one could stand her raving, Cam eventually gave her a very mild sedative, and she eventually fell asleep. Fortunately (or unfortunately) her condition was not severe enough for her to be admitted to a psych hospital. Booth, Cam, Angela, Hodgins, and eventually Sweets took turns watching Brennan until she regained control of herself, but Booth's (and everyone else's) nerves were rubbed raw. Booth couldn't help being a little angry at Brennan, even though he realized that the incident was not her fault.

When Temperance became herself again, she was, of course, mortified. "It feels like I'm back in New Orleans, although I remember what I said perfectly" she wailed. "Do you realize how frightening it is to be betrayed by my brain? Especially for me, since I still pride myself on my rationality. If I can't trust my mind who am I? How can I trust myself to do my job and be tolerable to, much less be there for, the people I love?" Although her mental lapse was brief, it caused Brennan a crisis of confidence that required several individual sessions with Sweets, who recommended that Temperance see a psychiatrist who could prescribe anti-depressants. The shock of her behavior also increased slightly the fissure in her relationship with Booth.

As if all this weren't bad enough, several days later Booth received another call from Pelant. "Agent Booth" said Pelant, "how nice to talk to you. I've decided that you and Dr. Brennan need to break up. You shouldn't have to put up with the display she put on last week, should you?" "When are you going to realize that you don't have control over my life" growled Booth. "Ah, but I do" purred Pelant. The aerosol that I gave your lovely partner can be made in vastly greater strength and quantity, enough to craze the entire city for months on end. People could get violent. You wouldn't want to be responsible for that now, would you?" Booth was too stunned to say anything.