Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.
A/N: I want to thank kagomekikyo-arrow and mustanggirlz07 for taking the time to leave such kind reviews. Also, thank you to everyone who's favorited or alerted this story. This one's a bit shorter, but the next one will be longer, I promise.
Ignoring the pain radiating through his body from his multiple injuries, Booth continued to walk swiftly through the warehouse, praying to find his partner alive and well. How could he have been so dumb, sending her straight into the clutches of the very person who was trying to kill her? Some protector he was. If she died, he'd never forgive himself.
He'd been working with her less than a year, and already he was attached to her like a druggie to cocaine. He'd do anything to keep her safe. Hell, he already had; he'd been blown up for her! And if that wasn't enough, here he was, running through a dangerous area without so much as a bulletproof vest, when he should be laying in a hospital bed. He couldn't help himself; the thought of her in danger sent pangs to his heart, pangs more painful than even the worst of his injuries. He couldn't imagine his day to day life without her in it. Walking through that warehouse, in just jeans and a t-shirt, his body was begging him to stop, to rest; his ribs felt ready to burst out of his skin, and yet all he wanted was to hold her in his arms, safe and sound.
He continued into another part of the warehouse, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his head. The last thing he needed just then was to be distracted.
Soon, his ears began to pick up Kenton's voice coming from a couple rooms further down. Heart racing, he accelerated his pace. A moment later they were in sight, right in front of him.
His eyes on his partner, he hardly even registered Kenton, nor the dogs barking viciously from their cages. Anger coursed through his veins at the sight of his partner, looking vulnerable and scared. Her hands were tied above her head, and a gag was tied on her mouth. As if that weren't sickening enough, the bastard had her hanging on a hook, like a piece of meat. In that moment, he vowed he would never let anyone near his partner again. He would do everything in his power to keep her out of harms way.
He was pulled roughly back to the present by the click of Kenton's gun as the safety was snapped into the off position. Booth saw the rogue agent raise the gun and aim it at Bones' head, and raised his own gun in response. Inside, he was terrified, but he refused to let it show.
"I'd think twice before shooting that gun, Kenton," Booth said, his voice a half growl. He knew that, even if he shot Kenton right then, the other agent would still get a shot off at Brennan. He'd really rather avoid that outcome.
When he saw Kenton's eyes as he turned to look at him, he realized just how futile the situation was. The man was desperate, and had nowhere left to run. Whether he shot Brennan or not, he was still screwed for life; even if he managed to get away, the FBI would be hunting him for the rest of his life. He had nothing to lose, and that was the worst kind of gunman to be in a showdown with. Booth said a silent prayer, hoping against hope that he and his partner could walk away from this unscathed.
Evidently god didn't see fit to answer that particular prayer, because as he watched the other man, he saw something click in the agent. He'd thought twice, and he'd come up with the same decision despite the unavoidable risk.
The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion as both agents, one good and one rogue, pulled back the trigger, each racing to beat the other. The two guns went off almost simultaneously, with only a split second between them.
Just as the bullet from Booth's gun hit Kenton in the shoulder, Kenton's gun fired, and as Brennan cried out, Booth felt as if he himself had been shot. If he could, he would have switched places with his partner just to relieve her pain. Ignoring Kenton's grumbling, Booth half ran, half limped to his partner; nothing else mattered but keeping her alive.
A/N: Don't you just hate me now? Cliffies, cliffies, cliffies.
So, here's the deal. I have the next chapter completely written out, but if you want to get it soon, you're gonna have to review. See, according to my story stats, there have been a total of 301 visitors to this story as of yesterday. And I have 2 reviews. That seems a bit off. I don't usually like to do this, but I'm not posting the next chapter until I get at least 10 reviews. It doesn't have to be much, people, just a simple 'I liked it' would suffice. Even if you didn't like it, I'm not gonna hold it against you for saying so; I know my writing isn't perfect. But please, if you do critisize my work, elaborate on how it could be better. If I get the 10 reviews tonight before I go to bed, I'll get it up tonight, but if not, it'll have to wait till tomorrow afternoon, simply because I'll be in school all day.
Once again, thank you to kagomekikyo-arrow and mustanggirlz07 for taking the time to leave some feedback. Also thank you to everyone who is reading this; even if you're not leaving any reviews or alerting the story, it's still appreciated.