A/N: Enjoy this new chapter! Little reminder: this story was written early in the second season. If characters seem OOC for some of you, remember that this story was based on their personality and history as we knew it at the beginning of season 2. Much has changed since then.

He knew it was hopeless but he had to do something. Searching for a tall man with black hair and brown eyes kept him from thinking about the horrible things that could be happening to his partner at the very moment. More than twelve hours had passed since she had been abducted; for all he knew, she could be locked up somewhere or even be dead. Searching for her possible kidnapper, even if it meant looking at hundreds of different files, made him feel like he was doing something rather just sitting around and waiting for the local police to find her. He needed to do something; his partner was in danger.

The building was quiet; the only sound came from the typing of Booth's fingers on the keyboard. His eyes were slowly beginning to burn from staring at the computer screen. Booth checked his watch. He had arrived at 12:00 and it was now two. Only a hundred files out of a thousand had been examined.

A knock at his door made him look up. He was surprised to find Russ standing outside his office. He motioned for the man to come in. Russ sat down in a chair across from Booth.

"I told you not to come down," Booth said, going back to his computer screen.

"I told my parole officer I was coming here. I won't be in any kind of trouble. I just couldn't stay at home, not doing anything, while my sister is somewhere kidnapped."

"How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't." Russ replied, honestly. "I just figured that you wouldn't stay at home either. I took a chance, saw the SUV, and came in."

A silence filled the room. Booth continued looking at the files while Russ examined the office. Then, after a few minutes of silence, Russ spoke.

"Did you learn anything?"

Booth sighed, looked away from the screen and rubbed his eyes before filling his visitor in on everything he had learned.

"It's not much, but it's a start," Booth said, trying to sound cheerful.

"You don't have to pretend to be happy, Agent Booth. I know you didn't mean for Tempe to disappear. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"I was at her house that night, Russ. The police suspect me of abducting my own partner. The evidence pointed to something not being right, but I trust her judgement. I shouldn't have."

"Temperance is fearless."

A sad smile spread over Booth's face.

"That's true. I was going through some files to find a possible match. I haven't found anything yet. Without a precise description, I'll still be here in a week."

"Did you search Tempe's apartment?" Russ asked after a few moments of silence.

"The local PD did. They found nothing."

"I didn't ask if the local PD checked, I asked if you checked."

Booth frowned.

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is that you know Tempe. You've been to her apartment before. You know what is supposed to be there and what is not. Maybe if you search yourself, you'll find something that the police overlooked."

"You really think so?" Booth asked, sceptical.

The thought of having to go back to his partner's apartment wasn't enchanting. After all, they would probably only waste their time. The apartment had already been searched from top to bottom. The Washington Police had found no shoe-print, no sign of a struggle and no piece of evidence. The carpet had been hair- and fibre-free. The investigation wasn't FBI jurisdiction. At the moment, he could be charged for obstruction during an investigation if he was caught.

He turned to look at Russ. His eyes showed deep sorrow and fear for his sister's safety, the same feelings currently going through him. The files would still be here later today. A quick visit to his partner's apartment would keep them moving and make them feel like they were doing something.

In a flash, Booth was on his feet. Startled, Russ's head snapped up in his direction.

"What are you doing?"

"We're going to pay a little visit to Bones' apartment."

The two men got out of the car. Quietly, they made their way to the back of the building. Booth opened the emergency door and stepped inside the building, Russ following closely behind him. No words were exchanged as they climbed the staircase, passing a man with a bag going the opposite direction. The man nodded curtly to Booth. Booth was too lost in his thoughts to reply.

Unlocking the door to her apartment, Booth pushed it open and stepped inside the dark living room. Thick clouds were hiding the sun, plunging the living room and the adjacent kitchen into a light darkness.

"What are we looking for?" Russ whispered as he closed the door behind them.

"We'll search through the entire apartment. Look for anything that doesn't seem Temperance-y, anything your sister isn't likely to have."

Russ nodded.

"You take the bedroom and the bathroom; I'll take the living room and the kitchen."

Russ disappeared down the hallway. Booth sighed as he looked around the apartment. It felt weird being here without her, knowing that she was somewhere in this city, suffering. A sense of guilt overwhelmed him and Booth felt the need to sit down. Dropping himself onto the couch, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

You can't let your feeling get in the way of your judgement. Bones needs you right now. She needs you to be rational, just like her.

Then, taking a deep breath, Booth opened his eyes and got to his feet. He began by inspecting the kitchen.

Nothing in the kitchen seemed out of place. Every glass was neatly aligned in the cupboard; the plates were still stacked in their usual cupboard beside the stove. The counters were empty, just like she had left them. Either she hadn't come into the kitchen at all or she hadn't had the time to.

The kitchen only took a few minutes to examine. Booth hadn't found anything and, from the lack of noise coming from the other part of the apartment, he had the feeling that Russ hadn't been luckier than him.

Back in the living room, Booth sat down on the edge of the couch and sighed. Who had he been kidding? There was nothing in the apartment that would help them find whoever had taken his partner.

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind him made him turn. Russ was leaning against the threshold separating the kitchen from the living room.

"Did you find anything?"

Russ shook her head.

"How about you?"

"No, but it's not like I expected to find something. The police searched the entire place already and didn't find anything. They probably thought I had cleaned up after I kidnapped my own partner."

"It's ridiculous. Why would they suspect you?"

Booth sighed.

"One day, I'll explain to you how cops can be corrupted or even biased."

Russ' eyes fell on something on the floor. Booth frowned.

"What are you looking at?"

Not answering his question, Russ simply walked over to the back of the couch and crouched down. Running his hand under the couch, he grabbed the shiny metal that had caught his attention. He stood up and showed it to Booth.

"What's that?" Booth asked as he grabbed the bracelet from Russ' hands.

Booth examined the object. It was made out of silver and almost looked like a Medic-Alert bracelet. Flipping it inside out, Booth was able to make out an inscription on the widest part of the jewellery.

"T.M."

"T.M.? Like initials?" Russ asked, confused.

Booth nodded.

"Where did you find it?"

"Under the couch."

"I know that. Where under the couch?"

Russ showed him.

"How could I have missed it?" Booth asked more to himself than to Russ as he folded his fist, squashing the bracelet in his palm.

"How could the police have missed it?"

Booth's eyes, which had been closed for a second while the man tried to remember the previous night, snapped open.

"What if it hadn't been there last night?"

Russ frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Booth sighed more annoyed by the situation than by Russ.

"I mean, what if I told you that the abductor came back here and planted this bracelet under the couch?"

"I would tell you that you're crazy, man. Why would have the abductor come back here, put this bracelet with his initials on it and leave the apartment? No offense, Booth, but I don't think whoever took my sister is that stupid."

Throwing the bracelet on the floor, Booth flunked himself on the couch. Rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hand, he growled loudly. Russ watched in empathy.

"Relax, Booth."

Booth opened his eyes and stared at his partner's brother.

"I love your sister, man. She's not just my partner; she means everything to me."

"I know."

"I swore to myself I would never let anything happen to her."

"I think you kept that promise, Booth."

"That's the thing, I didn't. It's my fault she disappeared."

"How is that so?"

Booth sighed and sat up. He filled Russ in on the previous night's events.

"I waited an hour – an hour, Russ! – before I came back to see if she was okay. I was already too late. I shouldn't have left. If I had come in with her, I could have caught whoever was in her apartment and none of this would have happened."

Russ sighed and sat down beside the agent.

"Listen. Tempe has only been gone for like what?"

"Twenty hours."

"It's not much. There's still hope that she's okay."

"I guess."

"We found this bracelet. We can now go back to your office, do another search with these initials and see what pops up. If we find any matches, we can go see my sister's neighbour and ask him if that was the man he saw."

Booth considered the option.

"Fine," he replied, getting to his feet. "Let's go now. I'll have to turn over the bracelet to the local PD. I don't want to be arrested for withholding evidence."

Dana loved to walk her dog at night. There was nothing like the night to enjoy quiet time. With her daughter-in-law's two sets of twins, her house was always full of noise. When she had agreed to move in with her son to help out with the children, she hadn't expected it to be like that. She had raised four children herself, but she could say with pride that her children had been angels, compared to her grandchildren.

She turned the corner to Maple Grove, her street. She really liked this neighbourhood. The streets were safe, everybody knew each other, and nobody bothered to lock their doors in this part of Washington City.

Puzzles tugged at its leash before stopping dead in his tracks. Frowning, Dana looked down at her poodle. The dog stared ahead and was growling softly. She followed the dog's gaze.

Her heart skipped a beat as she began to make out the outline of someone standing on the sidewalk. Ignoring the quick rate of her heart, she tugged at her dog's leash and slowly walked up to the stranger. Puzzles' growls grew louder and more menacing.

"Can I help you?" Dana asked, casually.

Startled, the stranger spun around. His eyes were as dark as his short hair, Dana immediately noticed.

"Could you tell me who lives there?" the man replied, pointing to the white house in front of them.

"The Stinsons, of course."

The man nodded.

"Thank you."

Then, before Dana even had the chance to ask the man why he had wanted to know, the stranger crossed the street and disappeared into the night.