A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!
ok so I'm at a little over a week now but my memory stick with all of my chapters snapped in half on Friday and I didn't have access to the computer with the chapters until today...updates will probably be Tuesdays now until I can get a new one or find my other... If reviews increase though I can get to this computer briefly some mornings so I could still possibly do more than 1 update a week instead of what I need to be doing... so if you want a chapter sooner review!
Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!
Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.
Last Chapter:
Booth read over the letter several times before putting it back into the envelope and taking out his cell phone to call Brennan. He put the cell phone to his ear as he grabbed the letter and started walking to his car.
"Brennan."
"Hey Bones change of plans. We aren't going to talk to the parents just yet…"
"Booth, what's going on?"
"I think the killer just sent me a letter. I'll be there soon," Booth said hanging up and putting his SUV in drive after getting in.
Killing for Revenge
Chapter 2: A Possible Target!
The Lab
Booth walked into the Jeffersonian and scanned himself onto the platform. The rest of the team was up there waiting for him. Brennan hadn't told them what was going on, only that it was important.
"So what's going on Booth?" Cam asked him.
"Yeah, do you have any goodies for me?" Hodgins asked him next.
"Calm down squints… I'm pretty sure the killer just contacted me at my office," Booth told them smacking the envelope down on the metal table.
Brennan picked up the envelope after putting on gloves and pulled the letter out. She read it to the team. After she finished the team looked at her with expressions of shock and horror.
"Hodgins, take the envelope and see if you can get anything off of it… other than Booth's fingerprints anyway…" Brennan started to say
"Yeah well sorry I don't keep gloves in my office but it's not exactly squint central…Oh and Bill's fingerprints will be on it also cause he's the one who brought it to me," Booth added.
"Angela," Brennan said glaring at Booth for interrupting her, as Booth shot her a charm smile. She just rolled her eyes and continued with her thought. "Take the letter and see if you can get anything out of it."
"Like what, Sweetie," Angela asked putting on a glove and taking the letter.
"Secret word, hidden phrase, maybe the magazines or newspapers the killer used to create the note… anything really."
"Ok Sweetie."
"Good… now Booth and I have to go talk to the parents."
In Booth's SUV
Brennan noticed that Booth seemed to be a little more tense than normal. He was clutching the wheel to the point of his knuckles turning white, his jaw was also clenched.
"Booth, are you alright?"
"Fine, Bones."
"Really because anthro—"
"Not now Bones."
"You're stressed."
"Nooooooo," Booth said sarcastically.
"You know I told you before how I read in a partnership sarcasm is never helpful… you know you should really borrow the book, it was quite informative."
"Yeah, whatever Bones, let's not start with that again."
"What's wrong, Booth?"
"Nothing," Booth said defensively.
"You're lying… Don't you trust me?"
Booth glanced over at her. He knew that any time she played the trust card he would give in. He just hoped she never realized this or she might actually get the gun she wanted. "Yeah, ok… You're gonna think it's stupid but I just have this really bad feeling about this case… like something worse is gonna happen."
"But that's illogical!"
"I know, but think about it, when has my gut ever been wrong?"
"Well there…"
"Rhetorical question, Bones."
"Still there was Pam. You didn't think she was dangerous so you almost died!"
"And you said there were no facts to suggest she was dangerous, just crazy!"
"We were looking at her as a suspect in a murder!"
"Yeah, until her alibi checked out!"
"Oh, so this is my fault now!" Brennan said starting to get angry.
"NO… wait where did you get that from?"
"Well you just said we didn't have any facts… I do facts, you do guts."
"We weren't exactly looking for them either and that was because I took her off the list of murder suspects."
"Oh, so it was your fault then."
"Yea… wait… WHAT?"
"Logically…"
"Logically," Booth said chuckling, "Bones, there was nothing logical about her."
"Ok."
"How did we get on this topic anyway?"
"Well you said…"
"Another rhetorical question, Bones."
"Oh." They were quiet for a few minutes.
"Why did you really bring her up, Bones," he asked her softly.
"You asked for a time your gut was wrong."
"Ok, now the real reason."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Alright, Bones, whenever you want to talk…" They were then silent in the car for a few minutes.
"… Because it was meant for me and you were gone…" she said in a mere whisper. Booth took his right hand off the steering wheel and took her left one giving it a gentle squeeze to show her he was still there. That was what she needed.
The Hunter's Home
"… Again, we are very sorry for your loss, but if you could just answer two or three more questions for us please." Booth requested of the two parents of the little boy who they just discovered was an only child.
"Of course, Agent Booth, just find out who did this to my little boy," the mother said clinging to the father; both were sobbing.
"I know he was only seven but did anyone seem to absolutely hate him?"
"No, he is… was such a lovely and well behaved little boy," the father said, "everyone who knew him liked him… We raised him to be polite to everyone."
"Ok… do you know a boy by the name of Jake O'Brian?" Booth asked.
"I think Eric mentioned a Jake in his class but I don't think they really spoke… It was one of those conversations of 'Can I have a new pencil? I let Jake borrow mine and he forgot to give it back,'" the father answered.
"Ok, thank you for your time. We are very sorry for your loss. Please call if you think of anything else," Booth said handing them a card and getting up to leave with Brennan following him. They both got into the SUV. Booth pulled out into the traffic. The ride was silent for a few minutes.
"It's getting steamy in here Bones."
"I don't know what that means."
"It means you're thinking too much… What are you thinking about anyway?"
"I'm just thinking I really don't like this killer," Brennan said looking very serious.
"I agree, Bones," Booth said laughing lightly. He then started getting quieter.
"What?" Bones asked him when he went completely silent.
"I think I just found a connection between the four boys, while thinking about what the parents have said."
"What do you mean?"
"Well first of all they all were only children but the parents were also saying they were never in trouble with anyone… While it's not much, it's something."
"Something's better than nothing," Brennan told him as her phone began to ring.
"Brennan," she answered. She listened for a minute then responded, "Angela just relax… We're on our way."
"So I guess this means we're not going to the diner for lunch?" Booth asked when she hung up.
"No, we have to get to the lab now… I don't know what has happened, but that was Angela and she was completely freaking in, I think you would call it."
"Out, Bones… freaking out, but close enough," Booth said laughing.
"But that makes no sense, she's in a building."
"Bones… I definitely got to boost your knowledge on pop culture and common phrases," he said still laughing. The rest of the ride to the lab was spent in comfortable silence.
Angela's Office
Booth and Brennan had just gotten to Angela's office. Almost instantly they noticed the increased security near her office.
"This can't be good," Brennan told Booth as they walked into the office.
"What's up, Angela?" Booth asked her.
Angela, who was sitting on her couch with her back to the door, jumped and turned around at the sound of his voice. "Geez Booth, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Angela asked him trying to regain a little composure.
"Sorry, but what has you freaking out?"
"Right, well, I was looking at the letter and noticed how each line has only four uppercase letters, so I figured maybe there is a word or phrase in those letters so I lined them up and this is what I got," Angela said hitting a few keys on the Angelator and the letter appeared slowly removing all of the lower case letters. "I then left the upper case letters in the lines they were in and this is what comes up when it's written in columns… the fourth one spells a word."
"Good work, Angela," Brennan said.
"Yeah, that's what I thought, then my brain processed what it said," Angela said starting to type in a command.
"What do you mean, Angela?" Booth asked.
"Just watch," she told him as she finished typing the command in. The letters started coming together. "Look at the fourth column." This is what it showed on the screen:
R S N A
P K I N
R N I G
T R E E
E V R L
G E E A
Both Brennan and Booth just stared at the screen for a few moments before they processed the fact that the last column spelt 'ANGELA'
"Ok… I did not expect that," Booth said.
"Yeah… I didn't either which is why I almost gave Cam a heart attack when I scram the first time I saw it," Angela told Booth.
"She must have loved that one," Booth said chuckling at the thought of his ex's face. He turned serious then, "Angela, I'm gonna need to ask you a couple of questions though." He motioned toward the couch indicating she should sit.
"Yeah, I kinda figured that out already."
"Ok, so first of all this case seems to be a series of revenge killings since they are getting more violent. Do you know anyone who might want revenge on you?"
"No, I don't. I had been trying to come up with someone's name even if it was just an ex of mine but most of my ex's broke up with me and the ones I broke up with are still good friends of mine. Sorry."
"Ok. One more question. Do you have any knowledge in torture or of people who have been tortured or have tortured others?"
"Well unless you count a very boring art history class that I had to take in college that the class called art torture than no," she said laughing lightly.
"Ok, that's all I have to ask for now, so let's make one thing clear for now though. YOU GO NOWHERE ALONE," Booth told her forcefully trying to get his point across. "I'm also calling in for two agents to follow you everywhere. Now let's go; me and Bones are taking you to your apartment where the agents will meet us. Let's go."
"Booth, don't you think this is a little much?" Angela asked.
"No… Now let's go," Booth said picking up his phone and requesting two agents to meet him at her apartment for security detail.
"Why do I have to go with you, wouldn't I be more valuable here?" Brennan asked Booth.
"No… You're definitely more valuable alive and since your best friend and myself have been zeroed out you could potentially be a target, if it isn't really either of us anyway," Booth told her.
"But that's illogical. Why would I be safer with two potential targets than in a secure lab and why would this killer go after people who aren't the intended target first?"
"First of all, I said it was possible that Angela and I are not the target not that we definitely weren't. Secondly, do I really need to remind you of our third Epps encounter we had…He sent Angela a heart, used my son, poisoned Cam, and tried to blow up Zach and me when you were his target. And let's not forget about Kenton blowing me up with your refrigerator because you were getting to close to matching his gun to the bullet hole so he wanted you dead…" Booth started his rant.
"That last one was your own fault… You were being overprotective and paranoid again. I told you before I can take care of myself, like when I beat up Ortez."
"Yeah, leaving me to get him to take off the hit he put on you so you didn't end up dead!" Booth said not thinking or realizing what he said.
"…What did you just say?..." Brennan asked after a moment.
"I don't know I really wasn't paying attention," Booth told her smiling slightly and sheepishly.
"Oh boy… I'm out of here," Angela said rising from where she was seated on the couch.
"Sit back down, Angela. I told you, you go nowhere alone," Booth told her after realizing she heard everything. Both Brennan and Booth had forgotten that they weren't alone. "Now, refresh my memory, Bones, What did I say?"
"You pretty much told her that Ortez put a hit out on her that you took care of," Angela informed him.
"Yeah… thank you Angela," Booth said glaring at her.
"I'll shut up now…"
"Good… Is that really what I said Bones?"
Brennan still too stunned to really speak just nodded.
"Yeah… ok… um…" Booth started to try to put words to what happened
"What did you do, Booth?" Brennan asked finding her voice.
"Um… Can I not answer that?" Booth asked pretty certain that he sounded like he was begging.
Angela took pity on him knowing that Brennan wouldn't drop the question unless another was asked so she asked him "That's why you were late to the funeral, wasn't it?"
Booth could tell it was more of a statement to distract Brennan but he still felt the need to respond. "Yes, it was," looking at Brennan now he continued, "I know you asked me to be there but as I told you at that time I had something more important to do… prevent your own funeral."
"Wow… seriously when are you both gonna hook up. That is like so hot!" Angela told them.
"We're just partners, Angela," they said at the same time.
"Uh huh, sweeties, you haven't been 'just partners' since that Cleo Eller case… Now when are we getting out of here?"
"Right now," Booth told them.
They started walking to the door informing Cam as they were leaving that they would not be back that day seeing as it was nearing 2:00pm anyway. Booth suggested that she still keep the lab under heavier security though, just to be on the safe side. The three of them were walking toward where Booth left the SUV after leaving the lab when he stuck his arm out indicating that they should stop.
"What's up, Booth… Why are we stopping?" Brennan asked him.
Booth pointed subtly to a black car parked a little ways away, with two men sitting in the front with their heads completely blocked by their hats and their heads were down as well casting strange shadows. "That car was there when we went in, both men inside the car also." Booth noticed one of the men make a subtle movement so he knew they weren't dead. "They aren't dead at least… stay close while we head to my SUV though." The SUV was a little bit further away than the black car. Booth decided to rest his hand on his gun at his hip just in case. As they started walking again Booth saw the car start to unroll one of the windows and pull out in the same direction they were walking in. He then noticed the metal glint of a gun coming out the window. Brennan and Angela had been walking about a step in front of him when he first noticed it. "GET DOWN!" He told them pushing them lightly to the floor as the shots started coming. Booth was barely able to get his gun out, but he was able to fire two bullets into the bumper of the car. Just as fast as it started it ended, but not before the killer got lucky. The killer saw the bullet hit, but it wasn't a hit to kill, just to injure.
The killer still wanted revenge and he would get it either through his target or his targets friends and family. The killer was sure that they were going to succeed.
But were they going to get away with the plans was the question.
Ok... so that was chapter 2 let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!