Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or any of the characters on the show but we already knew that right? They belong to Hart Hanson and Fox.
So Welcome to another story. This runs parallel to Espionage so if you haven't read that STOP HERE and go read it. It is mandatory or you won't understand what is going on for the first twenty chapters. If you've already read it read on! I'd like to take a second to thank my betas. First is my regular beta who wants to remain anonymous but I'll thank them anyway. THANK YOU for reading this I don't know how many times and putting up with my awful grammar. Second but not last is (believe it or not) my husband. He took a look at my male characters and helped make them more manly. *snicker* I don't know how many times I heard 'Really? Really?' from him lol.
Chapter 1 - How Old Are You?
Legates ran into the dorm and headed up the stairs towards his room. He had just finished his second run for the day, the first being at two am after yet another nightmare.
"Hey, Legates, Techie's looking for you man," Wilson called out as Legates sprinted past his door.
"Thanks," he called out. He opened the door and found Techie scrambling to pack a duffel bag.
"You looking for me?" Legates asked, pulling his shirt over his head.
"Yeah, call came in from General Carter. We're working security across the street at Ft. Myers for some squints," Techie told him. Legates snorted and headed to the shower, snagging his clothes and towel on the way.
"So, we're working security? We're highly trained special forces and we're working security?" Legates said sarcastically.
"Yep, so wash up, Stink Boy, pack yer shit for a two week TDY and let's get this going. I'm gonna go let the guys know," Techie said.
Legates, slammed the door behind himself and locked both doors to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and stepped under the spray. Leaning against the wall, he let the warm water run over his body. After scrubbing off, he got out of the shower and toweled off. Yanking on his uniform and boots, he walked out into the room.
Digging around, he pulled out his duffel and shoved two weeks' worth of clothes in the bag. He spotted an envelope lying on his pillow and snatched it up. Tearing it open, he read the letter and let out a deep sigh. He had worried that his high school transcript would be a problem but apparently not. American University would be sending a course catalog and registration information for the correspondence and satellite classes.
His eyes narrowed at the date and he groaned. He scanned and saw they sent it to his original post instead of his current one. Techie walked in and threw something at him. Reaching out his hand, he caught the envelope, scanned it, grinned and tossed it into his bag. Zipping it up, he turned and looked at Techie.
"When do we leave?"
Techie glanced at his watched, paused as if trying to figure out how to read it then looked up.
"Five minutes," he replied with a grin. Legates sighed, walked to the door and stopped before leaving.
"Weapons?" Legates asked, looking at Techie.
"Will be on the truck," Techie answered.
"Don't forget to lock the door this time, Sweetie Pie," Legates called as he the room and headed down the hallway.
He saw his unit filing out into the hallway and heading towards the stairs. He walked with them and laughed as he saw some scrambling to find their gear. Getting outside, he set his duffel on the ground and groaned. The men came out of the dorm doors and echoed his groan. Tossing his bag up into the back, Legates swung up into the truck. After moving to the front, he tossed his duffel under the seat and flopped down.
"You look really unhappy there, Legates," Perkins said, sitting down across from him.
"I just got back from a three mile run and now we're going to be riding in the back of this beast. Why the hell are we getting picked up here instead of motor pool hanger anyway?" Legates asked with a grunt. Perkins leaned back, crossed his ankles and chuckled at Legates.
"You shoulda watched Attack of the Show with us and because if you look across the street you'll see the Press everywhere. They're using the trucks as a way for us to get through with no problem," Perkins said. Legates sighed and shook his head. Sitting back, he crossed both his arms and his ankles.
Five minutes later, the truck pulled through the gates of Ft. Myers and circled around to the Intelligence building. Before they reached the site, the men smelled the ash, soot, and death. The truck pulled to a stop and the men started jumping out. When all ten pairs of feet had hit the ground, Legates looked around. He saw Techie approach the string and step under it. Legates instinctively knew that wasn't a good idea. The team froze when a familiar voice flew across the area.
"Techie, GET OFF MY CRIME SCENE!"
Legates let a grin slide across his face and he saw everyone else start to smile. They knew where ever Dr. Brennan was their 'Sarge' wasn't far behind. Scanning the crime scene, he saw the squint squad plus a lot more. Some wore blue overalls some wore fatigues.
"Techie, who's in charge," Booth's voice rang out. Legates and the rest of the unit turned to see where Booth was standing. Legates swallowed, this must be a big thing if there was a general hanging around.
Michelle sighed and flipped open her book. She was deep into the explanation of the menstrual cycle, as if she needed an in depth description, when her phone sang out Bibiddi Boppidi Boo. She picked it up and frowned as Cam's name flashed across the screen.
"Hey, Cam, what's up?" Michelle asked, after flipping the phone open.
"Michelle, we have something big going on and after what happened when we got back I would suggest you pack a bag and get home. I would do it quickly or you may not be able to get out of your dorm room," Cam said, tersely.
"Um okay, do you need me to do anything?" She asked, looking around her room.
"No, just pack some clothes and get home quick," Cam said.
"Okay, I'll be out of here in ten minutes," Michelle said, slamming her book closed and standing up.
"Be careful and I'll see you later," Cam said. Michelle swallowed and nodded.
"You too," Michelle said, realizing that Cam couldn't see her.
Michelle hung up her phone and swept around the room packing her clothes as quickly as possible. Running into the bathroom, she threw her necessities into another bag and chucked it into her bag. Glancing around, she snatched up her phone and books.
Shoving them in her backpack, she zipped all her bags closed and grabbed her keys. Rushing out the door of her bedroom and closing it behind her, she paused at the sight of her roommate in a lip lock with her current boyfriend.
"Brittney, something is going down with the Jeffersonian and I need to get off campus. I don't know how long I'll be gone. I'll email my professors but I just wanted to let you know," Michelle said, moving swiftly towards the door.
"What should I tell anyone who asks about you?" Brittney asked, after pulling back from her boyfriend's face.
"Just that I'm on vacation and you don't know where I am. I don't know if I will be out of contact or not," Michelle told her. Brittney nodded in understanding.
"Same for you, Dwayne. I went on vacation and you don't know where I am. Got it?" She told Brittney's boyfriend.
"Yep, got it," he said, smiling.
Nodding, Michelle opened the door and quickly left the dorm room and then the building. Walking quickly off campus, she flagged a cab down and took it home. When she arrived at the house, she swallowed hard. The Press was camped on the doorstep. She paid the cabbie, grabbed her bags, and pushed the door open. The people around the house turned then swarmed toward her. Flash bulbs started popping and Michelle blanked her face, swallowed her fear and pushed through the crowd.
She reached the front door, pulled out her keys and opened the door. Pushing into the house with the reporters hollering questions behind her, she closed the door after she got through. Once the door was closed, she panted and sank to the floor. When they had arrived home from Maluku the press had gotten wind of what had happened via a lovely article written by one Hannah Burley. Michelle tried not to think about what had followed but it was hard.
The Press had dogged her heels, they followed her around campus, they stood outside her classes; they hounded her friends. Swallowing, she closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears from creeping from between her lids. The door behind her pushed open and she gasped. Standing up, she pushed the door closed again and locked the doors. Breathing deeply, she decided to take control of the situation. She started by humming in a low key and then the words began to drift from her mouth.
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found,
Was blind but now I see.
She moved around the front of the house, locking windows, and dropping blinds. Once that had been achieved, she moved her bags into her bedroom. Then the pounding on the door started. She rolled her eyes and picked up the phone.
"Metropolitan Police Department," a female voice answered the phone.
"Hi, this is Michelle Welton. My yard is covered in trespassers," she told the cop.
"Can you give me your address please?" The police officer asked.
Michelle gave the officer their address and waited as she heard the click of keys on the other end of the line.
"Are you in any immediate danger?" The cop asked in a friendly tone.
"No, but if any of those reporters try to get into my house again they may be," Michelle said.
"Have they tried to forcibly enter your home?" The cop asked in the same tone.
"Yes, but I slammed the door in their faces and locked the doors," Michelle said.
"Okay, we'll have a patrol car there within the next half hour," she told Michelle.
"Thank you," Michelle said gratefully.
Going to the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and sighed. She loved Cam, she really did but working with the people at the Jeffersonian had turned her into a takeout junkie. Sifting through the fridge again, she crowed when she found lunch meat. Pulling out the mayonnaise and the mustard, she set all three on the counter. Rooting around on the counter, she found the bread and made herself a sandwich.
Putting the ingredients back into the fridge, she grabbed her sandwich and headed upstairs. She had just reached the top of the stairs when her phone rang. Pulling it out, she answered. She listened carefully then told Cam that she would pack everything Cam needed. Flipping the phone closed, Michelle headed down the hallway towards Cam's room.
Legates shifted and started to patrol again; his eyes scanning the area for people that shouldn't be there. Earlier, he had almost shot Daisy accidentally on purpose. The patrols were boring but needed to be done. Techie had told him that Dr. Brennan had fallen out of the tree and landed on Booth.
He winced at the telling and shook his head. Half an hour ago, Angela had shown up with enough pizzas to feed an army, coffee in camtainers, and all the necessaries to go with each. The squints worked non stop as he and his shift patrolled. Techie had set up twenty four hour patrols. Some of the men were kicked back under the tree that Dr. Brennan had fallen out of and were asleep.
None of the reporters had broken the gate barrier yet and things were quiet. Which surprised him these reporters were like a pack of rabid dogs, more so than usual. The unit had been told to say nothing about anything they saw here unless they were speaking to Booth, Brennan, one of their team or General Carter. He heard Booth call out to Techie but didn't pay attention to what was being said. He saw Booth leave, taking the weird squint and the normal squint with him.
Michelle looked up from her computer at the knock on the door. She walked to the door and paused.
"What," she called out, showing her irritation at the reporters randomly coming up and knocking on the door.
"Michelle, it's Booth. Let me in," Booth called back through the door. MIchelle looked up in surprise, Booth had arrived before the police.
She unlocked the door but left the chain up. Cracking the door, she stuck her eye up to the crack and peeked through. Sighing in relief, she closed the door and slid the chain across, unlocking it. When she opened the door, Booth rushed in, pushing the door closed behind him with a loud bang. She could hear the reporters hollering questions from the edge of lawn.
"Do you have everything packed up?" Booth asked her in a hurried tone.
"Yeah, where exactly are we going?" Michelle asked in curious tone.
"First to the base, so you may want to bring something to entertain yourself. They're still processing the scene. When they're done there, we're going to Hodgins' Estate at night and the lab during the day," Booth explained.
Nodding quickly, Michelle turned on her heel and went up the stairs. She came back carrying her overstuffed backpack.
"Seriously? Books? Come on, don't tell me you are going to be a squint too," Booth complained. Michelle laughed lightly at him.
"My father was a doctor, Cam is a doctor, and you expect something else from me?" Michelle said with a grin.
Booth pulled off his trench coat that currently covered his frame and handed it to Michelle.
"Okay, when we go outside cover up with this. Look at the ground and keep one hand looped in my belt loop. When we reach the car, you get in and I'll put the luggage in the trunk. Okay?" Booth explained to her.
She widened her eyes and bent over to pick up the duffel bags with her and Cam's clothes. He took them from her hands. She slipped the coat over her head and followed him out the door. He paused and she spun around to face the door. Quickly, she locked the doors and turned to face him again. He turned, she hooked her finger in his belt loop and followed his feet.
The reporters yelled out questions and she could hear the clicking of the cameras. Over that noise, she could hear vans running. They must have sent TV crews since she first came home. She saw the car in front of them then the door open a crack. Sucking in her breath, she squeezed past Booth and climbed into the back seat. She hooked her hand in his coat and pulled it off. She looked around the car and saw Wendell and Fisher. Wendell gave her a wave and a smile. She heard the trunk slam then the front door open and close. She had heard her name called by the reporters when Booth had opened the door. She felt the memory swamp her and froze.
"Michelle?" Michelle turned at the sound of her name being called. She rolled her eyes, spun on her heel, and strode towards her class.
"No comment," she snapped as she strode. The young man reached out and grasped her arm in a firm grip.
"I'm Bill Gentry from The Washington Affiliate and I just want to ask you some questions," he said firmly. His grasp on her arm tightened as she tried to shrug him off.
"GET OFF ME!" She yelled at him, yanking her arm hard.
"Hey look, Bill has her, let's go," she heard a voice call from the other side of the fence. Suddenly, she was surrounded by reporters; their flashbulbs going off, their voices calling out questions.
"No COMMENT!" She screamed as she tried to push through the throng. Now they surrounded her on all sides and were pushing and shoving to get closer to her.
"Ms. Welton, was it just Dr. Brennan that was tortured or were you abused as well?"
"Michelle, was it only physical abuse or was it sexual?"
"Did Ambassador Zabik participate or was it only the slavers?"
She clapped her hands over her ears as the questions brought images to the forefront of her mind. The crowd pushed even closer and Michelle felt the panic rise. She could now smell the dirt of the pit, she could hear the screams of the Indonesian girl as she was raped, she could feel the tears Brennan had shed dripping down on her neck. She saw spots before her eyes and sank to her knees. Finally giving in to the lack of oxygen, she passed out and hit her head on the path with a thump.
She would later find out that Dwayne was walking towards his microbiology class when he saw the throng of reporters. Tanya was exiting the building when she heard Michelle's scream. Tanya started running towards the throng. She was pushing and shoving through the throng and was halfway in when she looked up to see, Dwayne Baker, the first string quarterback bulldozing through the throng. He reached the middle at the same time as Tanya and saw Michelle sprawled on the ground and the reporters just looking at her.
"Move, what the hell is wrong with you people?" He bellowed as he stepped closer and bent over. Picking her up, he quickly walked across campus carrying her to the Medical center. Tanya followed behind him.
Michelle blinked twice when she heard someone say her name.
"You okay back there, Michelle?" Booth asked in a low tone. Michelle looked up at the rear view mirror and saw his concerned brown eyes looking back.
"Yeah," she whispered. Not sure if he heard her, she nodded a yes.
She spent the rest of the ride pushing down the memories and ignoring the freaky scientist sitting next to her. She understood that the Jeffersonian drew the best and brightest. She also understood that sometimes they were a bit odd but he took the cake on weirdness.
Legates came around the corner for what felt like the 50 millionth time and saw that Booth had returned and was sitting with Angela and...Holy Mary Mother of God. What the hell was Michelle doing here? She sat in a camp chair, near the food table that was sitting in the bright light of the stadium lamps.
Hadn't her last trip with this group caused that poor girl enough trouble? Shaking his head, he walked to the table with the coffee sitting on it. Making himself a cup, he heard Angela talking to Michelle.
"What are you studying, Michelle," Angela asked with a leer.
"Human Reproductive System," Michelle answered, still reading.
Legates heard Booth muttering under his breath. Angela began to giggle causing Michelle to look up. Angela pointed to Booth and Michelle looked over at him. Michelle began to giggle at the blush spreading across Booth's face. Legates glanced over his shoulder at the two women laughing at Booth. Raising one eyebrow, he looked at Booth. Seeing the blush running across Booth's cheeks, Legates began to laugh.
"What are you laughing at, Legates," Booth barked.
"Nothing, Sarge, nothing at all," Legates said with a grin.
Booth's eyes narrowed and he frowned. Slouching down in the seat, Booth crossed his ankles and then his arms.
"So, Sarge, she does all the work and you do nothing?" Addison teased Booth with a laugh. Legates stuck the coffee stirrer in his mouth and sucked on it for a second.
"I said this once already. This is her thing, she does this then I do my thing. It's a give and take thing," Booth said with a satisfied smile sneaking across his face.
"Ohhh I always knew," Angela said, fanning herself. Michelle laughed at Angela.
"I'd think he's hot but he's already slept with Cam and that would just be weird," Michelle said absently, turning the page of her book.
Booth's mouth fell open and his face turned fiery red, causing Legates to start laughing again.
"Legates is pretty hot, too," Michelle said, still reading her book.
Legates started blushing and gaped causing Booth to start laughing at him in return. Angela was laughing so hard tears were rolling down her face. Oh shit, Booth is going to kill me Legates thought. Michelle shot him a wink and went back to her reading. He stood there for a moment with a floored expression on his face until Addison bumped him on his way past.
Shaking his head and taking his coffee, Legates headed for his last round of patrols. As he approached the table for the last time on his shift, he noticed that Booth and Brennan were gone. Michelle sat alone still reading her book. Walking to the pile of pizza boxes, he dug through looking to see if any slices were left. Finding a few, he snagged one and sat in the chair next to Michelle.
"You plan on sleeping or studying all night?" Legates asked her, taking a small bite of his pizza.
Michelle let the corner of her mouth turn up as she looked over at him. Lifting her wrist, she looked at her watch. Midnight, hmm, bedtime soon but not quite yet.
"I still have another hour left in me," she said.
Turning the page, her attention went back to the book. Legates, slouched down in the camp chair with his head resting on the back and his legs stretched out in front of him. Keeping an eye on him from the corner of her eye, she watched as he tried to get comfortable in the chair. Sighing, she stood up walked over to the other chairs and picked on up. Plopping it down in front of him, she pointed to it. He raised an eyebrow.
"The length of your upper body and legs are not proportionate to the chair," Michelle told him. He raised his eyebrow again, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Your big ass don't fit in that chair," she told him.
Flopping down into her chair, she lifted her book up to finish her chapter on gamete production.
"Did you just call my ass big, young lady?" Legates asked her with a smirk, knowing he was setting her up.
"Well, it is," she responded.
"So, you've been observing my ass?" He asked, shooting her a triumphant grin.
"When it's that large you can't miss it," she told him blandly, impressing herself with her ability to keep from laughing. Picking up her highlighter, she used it.
He shook his head laughing at her come back. This is going to be fun, he thought to himself.
"And I am not that young," she told him primly.
"Younger than me," he returned.
"Cam's younger than you," she teased back.
"Ouch," he said, after swallowing his last bite of pizza. She flipped the book closed and angled towards him.
"So, how old arrreee you?" She questioned, propping her chin in her hand and looking at him.
A/N: Let's see what can I tell you about tomorrow...Teasing, Reed (that's right your favorite guy to hate), humming, creepy Booth, tattoos, hot blooded, contacts, biting, shooting, and sleeping. *snicker*
A/N2: Okay, ladies and Gents in case you missed it in the prologue there will be links posted on my blog. So yes, I meant camtainers not containers and you can see them by visiting the link on my blog. You can find my blog address on my profile and...*whisper* there's a preview to the Espionage sequel there. Oh and for some reason FFN will not save my line breaks when I type them in ) so I'll go back and put them in the original documents from here on out.