The storm the previous night seemed to have cleared the air as it is much less humid than before. The sun is shining brightly through the tree canopies and after only half an hour of walking, Brennan has to stop to take off her jacket. She calls out to Booth who is several yards ahead of her. He stops and turns to see her dropping her backpack on the forest floor.
"What's up?" he asks, making his way back to her.
"I'm just…" she begins to wriggle out of her jacket, finding it a bit difficult because the material is stiff from drying out after the storm. "A little…warm." as she struggles with the sleeve on her left arm Booth chuckles and steps closer to her. He grasps her arm and pulls on the sleeve, unable to stop thinking how doing this reminds him of when Parker needs help with his jacket. He turns Brennan in a circle, pulling the jacket off as she spins. As she tugs down her black vest, Booth holds her jacket, smiling at how sexy she looks in her braided pigtails with loose strands framing her face, cleavage enhancing vest and tight jeans.
"What?" Brennan asks, glancing up for a moment and catching Booth staring at her.
"Nothing Bones." Booth lets out a content sigh. "Here." He hands her back her jacket and she ties it around her waist before reaching for her backpack. Before she can sling it back over her shoulder, both she and Booth hear a shrill ringing coming from the backpack. Brennan digs around in a side pocket and pulls out a satellite phone.
"Brennan." She answers, plugging one ear with her finger.
"Sweetie, it's me." Angela's voice comes over a little crackly. "Can you hear me?"
"Barely. Do you have something for me?" Brennan asks, beginning to move around a little hoping to catch a better connection.
"Zach studied the remains. He's confirmed that they were in the woods for approximately twenty years. Cause of death is blunt force trauma. We found wood fragments imbedded in the bones on the legs, spine and in the skull." Angela explains. Brennan turns to Booth.
"Blunt force trauma killed our victim." She relays. "Did you get an ID?" she asks Angela.
"Dental records turned up nothing. I reconstructed a face and ran that too. No matches."
"No ID yet." Brennan explains to Booth, pulling the receiver away from her mouth.
"I cross referenced my sketches with known images of DB Cooper."
"And?"
"And I can't say it isn't him. But I can't say it is either." Brennan remains silent, unknowingly driving Booth crazy by not telling him what Angela is saying. "They have similar features and the height and weight match but there isn't enough to confirm an ID." Angela finishes.
"Thanks Ang." Brennan sighs.
"Bones, what did she say?" Booth asks, rubbing his hands together, his face a picture of anxiousness.
"Call me if you find anything else." Brennan hangs up the phone and slides it back into the backpack. "Angela cannot say definitively that the skeleton is Cooper."
"But she didn't say it wasn't?" Booth asks hopefully.
"For now." Brennan provides him with some of the hope he is looking for.
"And someone killed him?"
"Yes, most likely with a plank or log of wood. There were wooden splinters imbedded in the bones."
"Nasty." Booth shakes his head and winces.
"The victim was tall and fairly muscular so whoever killed him had to have been of equal proportion. I'd say his killer is…or was another male, probably of a similar age."
"You know Bones, one of the theories out there is that Cooper had an accomplice. Maybe this accomplice killed Cooper to keep the money for himself."
"Or Cooper killed his accomplice." Brennan offers with her eyebrows raised in conjecture.
"Now you're thinking like me." Booth grins and grasps her bare shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
"God help me." She raises her eyes to the sky in feigned horror.
"Wow Bones, I never thought I'd hear you ask Him for help" Booth says with a playful smirk. For his jovial mood Booth receives a firm but playful punch to the arm!
"Come on Bones, the sooner we find the cabin, the sooner we might have some answers." Booth grasps her elbow and tugs her onwards.
xxxx
When Booth finally spots the cabin through the trees two hours later, a wide excited grin spreads across his face.
"Hey, over there Bones." He points to show her where to look. Her eyes scan the trees and she spots what Booth has found; a run down shack with a small porch surrounded by thick brush and trees.
"The cabin." She says under her breath.
"Come on." Booth grabs her hand and tugs her towards the cabin. Brennan can't help but feel his enthusiasm. They reach the front of the cabin and Booth lets go of her hand, a little reluctantly. He stares at the weather beaten wood which forms a very rough structure.
"Do you think anyone still uses this?" Brennan asks, glancing around.
"I'd have to say yes." Booth places his hand on her back and pushes her forward to where he has spotted a tin pot, mug, plate and kerosene lamp sitting on one of the steps. The scraps of food on the plate suggest that not only does someone live here but they have been here recently. This puts Booth on edge a little, Brennan notices him tensing up. She knows when Booth does this that he's getting prepared for something and she immediately feels her own body tense.
"We should take a look around." Booth tells her as he shrugs off his backpack and pulls something Brennan doesn't see from a side pocket, sliding whatever it is into his back pocket. Brennan follows his lead and drops her backpack at her feet. Booth signals for her to go one way while he goes the other.
"Be careful." He whispers as he moves away from her to the left side of the cabin. Brennan goes to the right and switches to high alert mode, looking and listening for anything.
xxxx
As Brennan rounds the corner of the cabin, she senses she is not alone. But before she can ready herself for whoever is behind her, she feels a searing pain in the back of her knee and she hits the ground hard. Rolling over, with tears in her eyes, she sees an old man in dirty ragged clothes looming over her with a thick branch in his hand, obviously what he hit her with. Her eyes widen with fear and she wants to call out to Booth but the pain is interfering with her thought process.
"Freeze!" A familiar voice calls out. Brennan turns her head to see Booth approaching with his gun drawn, from the back of the cabin. "Put that down!" he yells. The old man looks at Booth then at Brennan and slowly lowers the offending weapon. "Bones, you okay?" Booth glances at her as he moves closer, his heart pounding at the sight of her writhing on the ground, in serious pain. Brennan bites down on her bottom lip to stop from crying out and manages to nod as she clutches her hands over her throbbing left knee.
"Now back away!" Booth calls to the old man. Clearly intimidated by the gun, the old man begins to back away from Brennan. His steps seem laboured and he stumbles a little as he moves. Booth keeps walking forwards with deliberate steps until he reaches Brennan's side. He briefly crouches down beside her and looks down into her eyes, silently assuring her that he has the situation under control. But with the threat of her attacker he quickly rises back to his feet. "Turn around and put your hands behind your back." He instructs the old man who complies, knowing that a man with a gun should not be argued with. Booth holsters his gun and whips out a set of handcuffs from his back pocket. He then handcuffs the old man and instructs him to kneel down and not move. With the old man secure, Booth moves back over to Brennan. She is lying curled up on her side, her hands clutching her knee.
"Bones…" Booth reaches out for her and his hand brushes the hair from her face. As he locks onto her eyes he can see them filled with tears. "Let's get you up." He says as he slips his hands under her arms and pulls her upper body off the forest floor. She seems to cling to him, biting back a cry of pain. "Your knee?" he checks. Brennan nods and tries to take a few deep breaths. She watches as Booth's hands gently remove hers from her knee then delicately feels the joint. Brennan cannot contain a cry when his hand reaches the back of her knee. "What do you think?" he asks her, looking for her professional opinion.
"Not dislocated." She gasps. "But a first aid kit and some ice right now would be a really good idea, a hospital in the near future if it's not too much trouble." Booth chuckles at her attempt to make a joke and brushes his hand over her hair, letting it come to a rest on the back of her head, holding it there for a moment. He glances behind him at the cabin then over at the old man.
"On your feet." He calls to the man. The old man looks over his shoulder at Booth and with a great deal of difficulty without the use of his hands, he staggers to his feet. "Into the cabin." Booth knows he sounds harsh but this man attacked Brennan and could be their killer so he wants to maintain authority over him. The man moves slowly and deliberately across the forest floor towards the cabin. Keeping one eye on him, Booth changes position and pulls one of Brennan's arms around his shoulder. He slides his own arm around her back and with the other under her legs, he rises to his feet, Brennan secure in his arms. Brennan bites back a cry and hangs onto Booth, her eyes clamped shut as she tries to block the pain. Following the old man into the cabin, Booth cradles Brennan to him, wishing he could take away her pain.
Once inside the cabin, Booth glances around at the musty, cobwebbed interior and his eyes settle on a roughly made bench covered in a moth eaten blanket. It'll have to do he thinks as he moves towards it. The old man hovers in the corner, watching the man and woman intently. He sees the man lower the woman to the bench gently and kneel on one knee at her side. His hand caresses her cheek, Brennan still trying to breathe through the pain, before he rises and turns to him.
"Okay, who are you?" Booth asks.
"I could ask you the same thing, trespassing on my property." The old man grumbles.
"We're with the FBI." Booth tells him, straightening his back to gain some height on the man who is a few inches taller than him. "Agent Booth, Dr Brennan." He nods to his partner who is half lying on the bench, gritting her teeth. "And you would be?" He nods at the man.
"You can call me Ike."
"Ike what?"
"Just Ike."
"Fine then Ike, do you live out here permanently?" the old man just nods.
"For how long?" Brennan asks through gritted teeth.
"A long time."
"How long?" Booth presses with a firm tone in his voice.
"I suppose it's been…" Ike pauses to think. "Maybe thirty years." Booth glances knowingly at Brennan. The time frame Ike has provided fits with when DB Cooper made his dramatic escape. This could mean he knew Cooper, or is Cooper Booth thinks.
"Do you know anything about the remains found down the mountain?" Brennan questions. For now, her mind focused on Ike and not her leg.
"I wondered when those would be found." Ike smiles.
"Is that a yes?" Booth asks.
"Yes." Ike grumbles. "But I didn't kill him." Intentionally.
"I find that hard to believe. You attacked my partner with a similar weapon used to kill the victim."
"It's a forest Agent." Ike replies. "The only weapons out here are rocks and wood."
"He has a point Booth." Brennan pipes up from the bench. She struggles to sit up, wincing and gritting her teeth as pain ripples through her leg from her knee. Booth glances over at her and notices how her cheeks are flushed.
"So that's why you're trespassing? You think I killed the guy." Well, I did but that was a long time ago and I had no choice.
"How did you know it was a male we found?" Brennan asks.
"Don't get many women up here." Ike shrugs. "Especially pretty ones like her." Booth's eyebrows narrow and he purses his lips at Ike's comment. He can see how uncomfortable it has made Brennan feel.
"Do I have to keep these on? I'm no threat to you and the lady." Ike turns to the side a little and wiggles his restricted hands. Booth assesses the old man; his hunched shoulders and tired eyes. He also recalls how the man stumbled when he walked and struggled to stand. He then decides that since he's the one with the gun and he has no evidence that this man actually did anything other than assault someone he thought was a threat to him he could remove the handcuffs.
"Fine, but I'm watching you." He moves over and takes off the cuffs. Ike rubs his wrists and moves over to stand by the fireplace.
"You want some coffee?" Ike asks as he lifts up a large tin container. Booth looks at Brennan then back to Ike. "No…thanks." Booth replies.
"I could use some water." Brennan tells Booth, maintaining deep breaths to control the pain.
"I got some fresh stuff out the back." Ike tells her. "I'll go get it." He moves to the door.
"Not so fast." Booth strides across the cabin to Ike's side. "Okay, let's go."
Booth follows Ike out of the cabin to where a large wooden container has been built. Ike dips a mug inside and draws out fresh rainwater. Booth takes a moment to look around and sees how many modern conveniences Ike has created. There is a small roughly constructed outhouse about fifteen feet away, the water container, something that looks like a bath and an outdoor rack where some pots and pans are hanging.
"You do all this yourself?" Booth asks.
"My friend helped."
"This friend wouldn't happen to be the same man who's death we're investigating?"
"Might be."
"Might or is?"
"Is." Ike confirms. "But he died a long time ago."
"What was his name?"
"Dan."
"As in Dan Cooper? DB Cooper?" Booth searches the old man's face for confirmation.
"Maybe." A sly smile crosses the old man's face, partially hidden by his beard. They re-enter the cabin and see that Brennan has moved herself into a more comfortable position, resting her back against the arm of the bench. Ike crosses over and hands her the water.
"Thank you." Brennan replies gratefully. This man may be a little strange and yes he did attack me but we were invading his personal space the anthropologist in Brennan surfaces. He was just protecting his territory and he seems harmless now.
"Ike here says the remains belong to a man called Dan." Booth raises his eyebrows.
"Dan, like DB Cooper?" she asks.
"On that, Ike here is not so clear." Booth shakes his head.
"How did you know him?" Brennan asks Ike.
"From around." The old man shrugs.
"Around here or around the city?" Booth queries.
"Both."
"If you didn't kill him do you know who did?"
"Bears." Ike smiles.
"Not possible." Brennan states. "The man was beaten to death." Ike shrugs nonchalantly. These people don't have anything on me for now but I can't let them go snooping around, they might find something. I need a plan Ike thinks.
"I can take you somewhere." Ike says suddenly. "You might find something you're looking for."
"What sort of something?" Booth asks, intrigued.
"Lots of green." Ike nods. Booth glances at Brennan who looks just as confused as him.
"Green?" Booth asks.
"And dead presidents."
"Money?" Brennan sits up straighter, forgetting the pain in her leg for a minute.
"Are you telling us you know where the money Cooper stole is stashed?" Booth stands with his hands planted on his waist.
"Can't say that for certain. But I can take you there, let you FBI people work it out."
"I'm not strictly…" Brennan begins.
"I would appreciate that." Booth interrupts. He sees no reason to let this man think Brennan is not official FBI. It might come in handy him thinking there are two FBI agents here.
"It's a long walk, not easy." Ike says. "You might want to discuss it with the missus." He nods at Brennan. Booth moves over to her and crouches down so he is at eye level with her. As they discuss what Ike has suggested and the implications of it, neither notices Ike slipping out of the cabin.
"He might be leading us into a trap." Booth voices his concern.
"But he might be leading us to evidence of DB Cooper and who killed our victim." Brennan offers. She is getting caught up in the mystery that attracted Booth in the first place.
"I don't know Bones, you're not really in any fit shape to be walking around the mountains."
"I'll manage." She insists. Booth glances around and sees that Ike is not behind him anymore.
"Damn." He grunts and stands up, running across to the back door.
Outside, he scans the woods for a sign of Ike but the man has disappeared. He walks around the cabin to the front and sees that both their backpacks have been ransacked. He curses under his breath as he checks what is left and realises that both the radio and the satellite phone have been taken. Feeling stupid for letting Ike out of his sight, Booth retreats into the cabin.
"Where'd he go?" Brennan asks.
"I don't know but wherever he went, he took our radio and your phone." Booth shakes his head. "I'm sorry Bones, I let my guard down."
"It's not your fault Booth." Brennan assures him.
"Tell me that when we die out here." He mutters.
"Booth." Brennan is a little shocked at his pessimism.
"Bones, without the radio or phone we have no way to contact anyone. Jenkins doesn't know where we are and you're injured." He summarises their predicament.
"I'm not an invalid." Brennan reminds him. "It'll take longer but we'll just have to get ourselves off the mountain."
"Can you even stand?" Booth asks Brennan. He knows they really need to get back to town and find out more about Ike as well as get Brennan some medical attention. Her knee is badly swollen and she is in a lot of pain despite the brave face she is putting on. Booth can see straight through her and it kills him that he can't just whisk her to the hospital.
Without their radio to call the Rangers and get a pick up at their location, they face a long hike through treacherous terrain to get to civilisation.
"Bones?" he looks for an answer to his question as he extends his hands down to help her to her feet.
"Um, yes, I think so." Brennan grasps Booth's extended hands and lets him pull her up. Keeping her weight on her right leg and with Booth's strong arms around her, she manages to stay upright but she knows walking will be a different matter. As she tries to take a few steps across the cabin to the door, she immediately collapses in Booth's arms.
"You okay?" he asks as he lowers her back to the bench.
"I don't think so." She hangs her head and takes a few deep breaths to get through the pain. Finally lifting her head he focuses on his eyes.
"Booth, I don't think I'm going to be walking off this mountain." She states gravely. "The logical thing to do is for you to go without me and come back with help." Brennan sighs.
"Bones, I am not leaving you out here alone." Booth states firmly. The thought of leaving Brennan has never entered his mind.
"I'll slow you down too much."
"I don't care Bones." Booth tells her. "Anything could happen if I left you. Ike could come back and you have no way to protect yourself.
"Okay, you make a good point." Brennan realises. "But…"
"No buts Bones." Booth says. "I've never left you before, I'm not starting now." He says firmly. "So what do we need to do to get you moving?" he asks, clapping his hands together.
"I'll need something to strap my knee up." She tells him. "And you're going to have to help me…a lot." She adds. Booth realises for Brennan to admit she needs help is a big thing so she must know how serious her injury is.
"Okay." He looks around the cabin and spots a dirty piece of cloth in the corner. He retrieves it and returns to Brennan. "This is going to hurt Bones."
"I know."
Booth begins to wrap the cloth around her knee, pulling it tight to secure the joint. Brennan can't restrain the cry of pain that comes out of her mouth as Booth does this. Looking her straight in the eyes he immediately whispers an apology, continuing to tie the rag tightly.
"How does that feel."
"Tight." She grimaces, trying to regain her breath. "It's good."
"Okay, let's try this again." Booth slips his arm around her waist and lifts her off the bench to her feet. He pulls Brennan's arm around his shoulders and grasps her waist tightly. "Right, let's take this slow." He smiles, trying to assure her they'll be fine. Leaning all her weight against Booth, Brennan hops forward on her good leg as Booth takes a step forward with her. They take another few steps and make it across the cabin to the front door.
"You okay?" Booth asks as they reach the door.
"Fine." Brennan relies through gritted teeth. There's no point telling him how much pain I'm in. It won't do us any good she rationalises. A few moments later they reach the bottom of the steps to the cabin and Booth lowers Brennan to the step.
"I'll grab what we need from your pack and put it in mine. He tells her, moving over to where their opened backpacks are lying. As he is gathering the things from her pack he calls to her, "Do you have any ibuprophen in your pack? It might help to take the edge off the pain for a while."
"Yeah, I think I do. Check the small pouch in the front, there's a small bottle and some band aids." She watches Booth as he searches the bag.
"Found them. Let me get you some water. Be right back". Booth runs to the back to quickly retrieve a cup of water and returns to hand it and the caplets to Brennan. "Here you go, these should help, at least a little bit." Brennan took the offered water and pain killers and downs them.
"Thanks, Booth" She says with a genuine smile.
"You set?" he checks. Brennan nods and lets Booth help her to her feet once again. Resuming their grip on each other, Booth leads Brennan down the slight incline and away from the cabin. He figures they should head back in the direction from which they came, knowing the best idea is to retrace their steps back down the mountain. The rangers know where they last were and if they come searching, they're more likely to find the pair.
After a half hour, Brennan feels like she is about to pass out. The pain in her knee is excruciating but she refuses to tell Booth because she knows they just need to keep moving. Still, he senses her extreme discomfort and pauses.
"Bones?" he glances down at her contorted face.
"I'm okay Booth." She grunts.
"No, you're not."
"Booth, the pain isn't going to go away. We just need to keep moving."
"We won't get far if you pass out on me." He cocks his head to the side. "We're going to rest for a few minutes." Brennan sighs heavily but doesn't argue. A rest would be good about now. Booth lowers her to the forest floor then takes off his backpack and retrieves a bottle of water. It's warm, but wet.
"Here." He crouches down and passes it to her before straightening up and glancing around, concerned that this Ike character is somewhere around, waiting to attack. I know he killed that man.
"Booth?" Brennan holds the bottle out to him but Booth waves his hand, indicating he doesn't want any. "You're not going to be any use to me if you get dehydrated." Booth thinks for a moment and realises she's right so he accepts the bottle and takes a slow drink. After a few more minutes, the pair resumes their trek, Brennan growing weaker and experiencing more pain as they move. Booth knows the pain meds are doing nothing to help her with all the movement.
XxXxXxXxX
An hour later Booth realises that at this pace they are going to be stuck in the open overnight. Brennan seems to realise it too.
"Booth, I need to stop." She leans against him, barely able to keep her body upright. He stops and again lowers Brennan to the ground at the foot of a tall wide tree.
"Booth, I know you don't want to but we're not getting very far. You could get off this mountain in a few hours without me."
"I told you Bones, I'm not leaving you alone." Booth repeats his earlier sentiment.
"We're away from the cabin Booth. Ike has no idea which direction we went in. I can hide."
"No Bones." Booth remains defiant.
"Listen to me." Her voice is firm. "I'm not giving you a choice. You are going to leave me here."
"Bones." Booth is quite surprised by her stance on the subject.
"Leave me your gun and go."
"Temperance." Booth tries using her given name, knowing it always gets her attention.
"Don't Temperance me, Seeley Booth. I don't want to stay out here alone anymore than you want me to but look at me. I can barely stand let alone walk."
"Please don't make me do this." Booth hangs his head.
"Do what?" she asks.
"Bones, the last time I left someone behind, they weren't alive when I got back." He explains. "I don't want that to happen to you."
Brennan thinks for a moment before responding.
"Booth, the more strain I put on my body the worse condition I'm going to be in. Trust me. It's better if I stay here." Booth looks sceptical. "Please Booth. I wouldn't ask you to do this if there was any other way." Booth knows she's right. He heaves a sigh and removes his gun from his belt.
"There is a full clip in here." He explains as he passes it to her. "You see something you don't like, you shoot." Brennan takes the gun and rests it in her lap. Next Booth drops his backpack. "I'll move quicker without this." He seems to be talking more to himself.
"You'll need the map. To get back here."
"I got it." Booth stuffs the map into his pocket after taking a look at their rough position on it. He then kneels down at her side.
"Bones, I promise you. I'll come back." His hand finds its way to her cheek.
"I know you will, and I'll be right here when you do." She smiles weakly. Booth locks eyes with her then leans in and presses a kiss to her lips. It is not a kiss declaring his feelings for her but rather a kiss of goodbye and good luck. Booth knows that there is a chance she may not be alive when he returns. The day is wearing on and the night is going to be cold. With her injured knee she could succumb to shock and the cold. Then there is always the chance that Ike could find her and hurt her, or a wild animal could take her by surprise. Brennan senses this and strokes his cheek with her own hand.
"Be safe." She whispers.
"You too." He rises to his feet and begins to walk away. He turns and looks back at her one last time before disappearing into the thick woods.
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