A/N: So here is the next part, and now we begin to get back to the B&B core of the story:o) Thanks for your reviews, you know I appreciate every one! ALSO, IF YOU WANT A BREIF (5 paragraph) SUMMARY of the prequel to this fic, just PM me, I have one if anybody's interested!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, but sadly I don't!

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Angela paced the corridor outside Brennan's room. She glanced agitatedly at her watch, Hodgins and Zack had yet to arrive. The patient one room over had been sent to the morgue, the devastated young man dutifully making the phone calls to various relations.

She wanted to ask him about the note, but didn't want to intrude at such an emotional time. Besides, Hodgins had told her not to overreact; she was trying to follow his advice.

After what seemed like an hour, but in truth was merely 27 minutes, Hodgins and Zack arrived. Angela pounced on them immediately, ushering them into Brennan's room where she showed them the note. Hodgins skimmed the wording, as did Zack, but neither seemed particularly alarmed.

Careful not to sound dismissive, Hodgins broached the subject. "This note doesn't seem particularly threatening. No personal references to anything about Dr. Brennan, no alluding to violence. I'll admit the religious rhetoric is a little disturbing, but it seems more of a conversion scare tactic than a direct threat against her."

Angela crossed her arms, uncertain. She looked to Zack waiting for him to chime in with his impressions.

Zack fingered the post-it note. "Hodgins is probably right. There's quite possibly either a staff member, or the like, who feels compelled to try and convert the critical care patients before they pass. Have them repent their sins so their souls can be saved. I don't think it's threatening, it just shows how far some people will go to spread the beliefs of their religion."

"I don't know guys, it all seems so…creepy," Angela said.

"Look Angela, I don't mean to sound condescending, but are you sure your reaction to this note isn't just a projection of everything we had to deal with when we were trying to save Dr. Brennan? I mean we had to decipher meaning from clues and riddles created by a madman. We worked round the clock, and just last night was the first time any of us got what amounts to a normal REM sleep cycle," Hodgins offered.

Angela sighed, looked at Brennan's still form, and shrugged. "Maybe you're right. Everything just got to me more than I thought. Now I'm creating problems where there aren't any because I'm paranoid."

Zack gave a small smile. "It's natural. We're all still a little shook up, plus worried about when Dr. Brennan will wake up. Our stress levels are high so over-reaction to any sort of stressful stimuli is to be expected."

A small laugh escaped Angela, the first in days. "You guys win. I'll let the note go. How about we go see how Booth's doing, get off this floor for a bit?"

"Fine with me."

"Booth'll probably appreciate the company."

The three made their way to the elevators, but Angela couldn't help one last glance back at Brennan's room, just to make sure she was really okay.

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"…so you see Agent Booth, this morning we'll switch you to a milder pain killer. It will make you less tired, but still prevent too much of an ache from developing. You're healing quite nicely, the wound shows no signs of infection, and your lung is almost 100 good as new. Stab wounds to the chest are generally nasty, but yours is healing much better than expected," Dr. Green finished. He made a few notations on his patients chart, closely studying his patient.

While Booth was physically healing fine, mentally he seemed broken. He showed no interest in his recovery, spoke only when necessary and spent most of his time muttering beneath his breath. Dr. Green knew he blamed himself for the fate of his partner who lay in a coma, but also knew that his depressed state was detrimental to his recovery.

"Agent Booth? I know you're worried about your partner- Dr. Brennan I believe?" Booth nodded slightly. "Well her condition still hasn't changed, but her vitals are strong and stable, it's probably just a mater of days before she's back with us," Dr. Green informed Booth.

Hearing these words Booth's eyes shot towards the Doctor. "You mean you think she's going to pull through soon?"

"Yes. Now after she wakes up she's going to need to undergo a series of tests to calculate how much brain function, if any, she lost due to the drug interaction, but we are optimistic." Dr. Green smile conspiratorially at Booth. "So I have a deal I'd like to propose to you?"

Booth narrowed his eyes. "A deal?"

"Mmmhmm, a deal. If you do some of your physical therapy, start eating your meals, get a little life back into you, I will arrange for you to transfer to the room next to Dr. Brennan. That way you'll be able to see her, know what's going on at all times, and even visit her in a day or so. Is it a deal?" Dr. Green held his breath hoping Booth would take the bait.

Booth straightened in his bed. "You can arrange for me to be in the room next to her? Even though I'm no longer a critical care patient? I'd be able to see her, sit with her, touch her…"

Dr. Green chuckled. "Slow down there. Yes, you'd be able to do all those things, but only if you live up to your end of the bargain. So?

The edges of Booth's mouth turned up, the first reaction of any type out of him in days. "Deal. Thank you Doctor, you don't know how much-"

He waved off Booth's appreciation. "Don't mention it. I know a love-sick man when I see one. Maybe putting you back with your woman will bring a little spunk back into you!" With a final wave Dr. Green left, whistling as he wandered away.

Booth couldn't believe his good fortune. He'd be the best patient his physical therapist had ever seen, he'd eat like a horse, and be the merriest person in the hospital. If that was all he had to do to be with Brennan he'd conquer the tasks gladly.

He'd missed being near her. Even drugged and semi-conscious he'd felt her absence. He knew he loved her, but hadn't really understood how vital she'd become to his everyday survival until days away from her; he couldn't wait to be able to touch her again, talk to her, tell her how much he loved her…

Angela, Hodgins and Zack stood in the doorway looking warily at each other. Booth lay propped against his pillows with nothing short of a dopey grin on his face. Taking the initiative, Hodgins knocked to get Booth's attention.

Angela smiled. "Are we interrupting," she teased, as Booth finally noticed the trio.

He beamed at her. "Nope, just got some wonderful news! The Doctor says that if I willingly do my physical therapy, eat and improve my disposition, he'll move me to the room next to Brennan's!

"That's awesome, man! Congratulations," Hodgins offered, while Angela and Zack echoed the sentiment.

Booth grinned. "Yeah I'm pretty excited. So how is she? The Doctor said her vitals were strong and such, but…"

"Her color is starting to come back, she's breathing on her own, she seems to be getting stronger by the hour," Angela told him. "You know Brennan, she's a fighter."

A sentimental look passed over Booth's features. "Yes she is."

A moment of silence fell over the group, finally broken by Booth. "So how are you guys holding up?"

"No worse for wear," Hodgins offered.

Angela giggled. "We're all good, still a little sleep deprived but good."

Booth asked a few questions about the kidnapper, Pouerston, and his death, which Zack happily answered while Angela meandered over to the window. She gazed out at the green lawn, the parking garage in the distance and a circling bird in the sky.

Leaning her hip against the sill, she turned back towards the group ready to make a smart reply to a comment by Hodgins, when something small and yellow by the side of Booth's bed caught her eye. Her heart thumped in her chest as adrenaline kicked in.

Trying not to attract attention she casually moved towards Booth's bed idly bending down to swipe the paper off the floor. She stood, quickly reading the words on the paper in the same scripted writing as on the other two notes. She swallowed once, then twice, before clearing her throat to attract attention.

Holding up the paper, she looked at the three men in the room. "Isn't there a saying that third times the charm?"

Zack and Hodgins immediately knew what was on the paper. Booth looked bewildered.

"What is that?" Booth asked. "Why do you guys all look so serious of all of a sudden? What's going on?"

Angela filled him in on the other two notes, watching as Booth's lips formed a tighter and tighter grim line. By the time she was finished he looked anything but happy.

"We don't have enough to prove that anything is going on, but I don't like the fact that so far you've seen three of these things," Booth mentioned.

"So what do we do?" Zack asked.

"We can't alert anyone because we don't know anything, so I guess we'll just have to do a little scouting on our own before we make any solid conclusions," Booth replied.

Angela agreed. "We can start by finding out what the patient in the room next to Brennan's died from, make sure it's nothing suspicious."

"Zack and I could visit the chapel, see if anyone's noticed any extreme religious types hanging around," Hodgins offered.

"Good. I've got to say I'm glad that I'm being transferred closer to Brennan, it'll do wonders for my peace of mind." Booth glanced at the three squints. "Just keep your eyes and ears open for anything that seems off, okay?"

A chorus of agreements met his request, but the topic soon shifted to a debate on the over-zealousness of religious believers…

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'How dare them,' she thought angrily. 'I am here providing a service to the Lord. Helping his lost flock members return to their Father.' Taking a calming breath she remembered that wrath was one of the seven deadly sins. It wouldn't do to offend the Father. She would deal with the blasphemers with the help of God, smite them where they stood.

Hurrying away she fled to the confines of the chapel, away from impure and wicked people. Dropping to her knees she begged forgiveness for her anger. She waited until others entered the chapel before finishing her prayer and exiting.

She would wait for a sign before she struck again. God had given her one that morning when a cloud had passed over the sun at the exact moment she'd stepped out of her car. She had understood His sign, so she had killed an unrepentant soul. Now it was only a matter of time until He summoned her to do his bidding again…