You people have restored my confidence in my ability to write smut and I thank you for it. You all know how this works. I give you words strung together in a, hopefully, entertaining manner and you give me reviews. Win/Win.
Disclaimer: No, still not mine.
Brennan stifled a yawn and stood up, stretching out the ache in her lower back from being bent over the table in Limbo for so long, examining some WWII remains. Tiredly glancing at her watch, she saw it was just after 5 PM and decided the remains could wait until tomorrow. She and Booth had gotten almost no sleep last night and it wasn't because they had spent the time talking. Just thinking about some of the things they had done last night sent shivers down her spine, but she was paying for it today because she was so exhausted she'd had trouble staying awake. With a wicked grin, she wondered how Booth was faring in court, where he'd been scheduled to testify before lunch on a case she hadn't worked with him. Of course, with the way the justice system worked, he was still there and probably would have to go back tomorrow. With another yawn, she made her way to her office, thinking she would have a little nap on her couch until he came to pick her up to go home. Reviewing her notes on the body she had been examining as she walked into her office, she failed to notice the man standing in the corner watching her with hooded eyes.
"Hello, Dr. Brennan."
The scratchy, distinctive voice stopped her in her tracks, her heart rate speeding up and her palms suddenly becoming damp as feelings of panic and rage swept over her. No, she told herself, it couldn't be him. He was not standing in her office. Surely even he wasn't that stupid. Stiffening her spine, she slowly turned on her heel. Apparently she had overestimated his intelligence because he was, indeed, standing in her office smiling at her as if they were old friends. Gathering every shred of courage and confidence she possessed, she walked behind her desk and reached for the phone, but his hand beat hers there and she recoiled, unwilling to touch him in any way. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she glared at him.
"Get out," she spat. He laughed, enjoying her reaction to his presence.
"Now, now, Temperence. Is that any way to treat an old friend?" She was enraged by his very existence, but he was deliberately blocking her path to the door and she couldn't force herself to get close enough to him to leave the room.
"Don't call me Temperence and we were never friends, you bastard. I know what you did. I know what you are." Her spine stiffened and her voice was growing stronger, she wasn't going to let this piece of slime cow her in her own office. He sighed, keeping his distance for the moment.
"Be that as it may, Temperence. I find myself in the position of needing your assistance, so I dropped by to ask nicely." He perched a hip on her desk and she made a mental note to burn it when he left.
"I will never help you." Her voice rang with sincerity. He picked up a framed photo of her and Booth and the rest of the squints from her desk and studied it closely.
"You should never say never, Temperence. You might not want to, but I think you'll come around to my way of thinking eventually. Unfortunately, I don't have time to just sit around and twiddle my thumbs until you change your mind." Turning the picture toward her, he continued, "Nice looking bunch of friends, Temperence. It would be very…unfortunate if something were to happen to them. I hear there was an explosion here in this very lab not long ago. Nasty business." Brennan wasn't a genius for nothing, her mind instantly making connections.
"It was you. You were behind the explosion," she gasped, absolutely certain she was right. "But why? Why would you try to kill my friends?" He laughed in genuine amusement.
"Temperence, if I wanted your friends dead, they would be dead." She shivered at the ice in his voice, believing every word. She knew from experience that he was ruthless enough to order the deaths of her friends without a second's hesitation or remorse. "Let's just say it was a misguided attempt on my part to separate you from you current partner."
"What? Why would you want to separate me from Booth?" Her anger was beginning to override her caution and her hands fisted at her sides. He noticed and grinned knowingly at her then shrugged carelessly at her question. She desperately wanted this awful man as far away from her as it was possible to get, but she also had the chance to get some answers and she couldn't just throw it away.
"I had heard how protective he is of you and thought you might be more amenable to my suggestion if he wasn't around to influence your decision. That was, of course, before I found out he was your current paramour and that point became moot. Really, Temperence, a beautiful, successful woman like you can do much better than that," he chided as if he was genuinely concerned for her. The entire situation felt surreal to Brennan, this horrible man appearing to be concerned about anyone other than himself was a farce of unbelievable proportions, but she wasn't about to argue with the maniac.
Oblivious to the unfolding drama in Brennan's office, Angela and Cam stood on the platform having a casual conversation about nothing in particular. Noting that she seemed to have lost Angela's attention and the way Angela's eyes widened, her jaw practically dropping, Cam swung around to face the door of the lab and felt her own jaw drop.
"Oh my," breathed Cam.
"God," finished Angela, her voice just as breathless as Cam's had been as their eyes roved over the four men who had just walked through the lab doors. Not a single one of them was less than 6' 1" and they were each and every one the very epitome of drop dead gorgeous hard bodies, the women noted as they came closer. They were obviously military. If their bearing and haircuts hadn't given it away, the camo would certainly have done the trick. Coming to a halt at the bottom of the platform, they all looked up at the two women and both felt their hearts give a little flutter at having so much very, very male attention focused on them.
"Hi," the apparent leader flashed the women a smile, revealing an adorable dimple in his right cheek, "We're looking for Dr. Brennan." When both women just continued to stare, he cleared his throat, shuffled his feet a little and actually blushed, which Angela found more than adorable. Cam finally shook herself out of her stupor, blushing furiously as she looked into laughing blue eyes, getting the impression these men were used to the effect they had on women.
"I'm sorry. How can we help you?" Cam asked in her best official voice.
"Can you tell us where to find Dr. Brennan?" Angela also shook off the stupor. She knew that voice, but no way could it be who she thought it was. Surely Brennan would have shared with her if the man proposing to her twice a month was this gorgeous.
"Sure," said Cam pointing toward Brennan's office.
"Thanks," the dimple appeared again and now Angela was positive.
"Nathaniel?" she asked incredulously. Pulling his attention from Brennan's office, he focused his full attention on her and Angela had no idea how her best friend had resisted him for a week much less two years.
"Yeah, and you're Angela. And you're Cam." Both women nodded, surprised that he knew that, then a little suspicious of how he knew that. As if he could read their minds, he laughed, "Red talks about you guys a lot," he assured them. The other three nodded in confirmation. Nathaniel started to politely introduce the three men accompanying him, but was interrupted by a muffled curse from behind him.
"Son of a bitch, Rodrigo's with Red." Without another word, Nathaniel swung around and looked where his fellow soldier pointed, feeling the need to get to her immediately to protect her from that piece of shit. Like the well oiled unit they were, the four men moved across the floor as one, approaching Brennan's office somewhat stealthily.
"Wow," said Cam, fanning herself as her eyes remained glued to the departing men.
"Yeah," agreed Angela, "Chippendales in camo. Brennan must have more willpower than even we knew because there is no way I would turn that down."
"I hear that," sighed Cam.
"What do you want?" Brennan demanded. Rodrigo gave her a smile of approval.
"I want you to help General Hood take out Perez." Brennan couldn't help the shudder of revulsion that shook her at the mere mention of her nemesis. She looked at the man sitting on her desk disbelievingly.
"Why? Why do you want your boss dead? If I remember correctly and, trust me, I do, you and he are close, personal friends." Her voice trembled with the fury behind her words, her eyes consigning him to hell.
"Ah, Temperence, still full of fire. I'm so glad to see your little encounter with Manuel didn't break that spirit. That is his specialty, you know, breaking people," he said cruelly. "But then you would know that, having seen it up close and personal." Seeing her cheeks blanch at the reminders of exactly what she had seen up close and personal, he sighed. "Forgive me, Temperence. That was uncalled for. Back to your question, Manuel and I have had a slight misunderstanding. I have two options to straighten things out and they both involve you."
"I will never help you. Never," she insisted stubbornly. He acted as if she hadn't spoken.
"The first option, and my personal favorite, is you help Hood with his little plan and Manuel is eliminated permanently. The second option which I find more than a little repugnant, by the way, is I hand you over to Manuel myself and all will be forgiven. So you see, either way I win, but sadly with the second option you will be very, very dead or at least wish you were. I thought it only fair to present the options to you and let you choose your own fate." Brennan could only gape at the obviously deranged man looking at her with dead obsidian eyes. His voice suggested he was doing her a great kindness, but she knew better than to believe it for a second. But then again, this was probably the closest he had ever come to a selfless act; as sociopaths weren't really known for their kindness to others. Brennan couldn't hold back the snort of disbelief.
"I hope you really don't think I'm stupid enough to believe you care whether I live or die," she gritted between clenched teeth, her skin crawling just from being in the same room with this creep.
"Temperence, you wound me," he declared, theatrically placing a hand over his heart. "I have never doubted your intelligence and, of course, I would prefer that you live," he added almost convincingly until he broke into laughter. "Sorry," he apologized, "of course, you're right. I just don't want Manuel to win, but you can benefit from that, so I suggest you make the appropriate choice before I'm forced to make it for you."
"And when would that be?" she could barely unclench her teeth enough to get the question out.
"I'm going to be generous and give you 48 hours to either agree to help Hood or get your affairs in order and say your goodbyes." He slid off her desk, hands casually in his pockets as if they were chatting about the weather instead of him giving her an ultimatum that would probably result in her death with either choice. "And, Temperence, you should already know you can't hide from me and if you even try, I will kill your friends one by one…," His words were suddenly cut off as he found himself jerked backward and slammed into the wall so hard his head bounced and he saw stars. When his vision cleared, a muscular forearm was pressed against his throat so tightly he was gasping for breath. His eyes widened as he looked into murderous blue eyes knowing that this man would drop him in a second and never regret it. The only reason he would be walking out of this room alive was because Nathaniel wouldn't kill him in front of Temperence. At least, he hoped he wouldn't as the arm against his throat pressed even harder and his vision started to fade.
"Rodrigo, what rock did you crawl out from under, you slimy son of a bitch? Now, I know you weren't threatening the pretty lady when I walked in because even you can't be that stupid." The arm eased enough to allow him to draw a few gasps of air before tightening again as the deadly voice continued, "You have her to thank for every single breath you've drawn for the last two years because, trust me, she's the only thing that saved your sorry ass. You should pray every day that nothing, and I mean nothing, ever happens to her because if it does, you will be the first person I come after."
"Nathaniel, let him go," a soft voice directly beside him urged. His eyes never wavered from the man he was slowly choking the life out of. "Nathaniel, please let him go. You're better than he is." The soft voice was joined by an equally soft hand gripping his other arm, the murderous rage he felt at seeing this man anywhere near Brennan only slightly diminishing at her touch. Even knowing she was unhurt this time, he wanted this man dead for even daring to come near her again. And he wanted it badly. But she was right, if he did it this way, he would be no better than the slime that he fought against every day. Jerking his arm away from the other man's throat, he watched in satisfaction as he sank to the floor, clutching his throat, gasping and coughing. Turning toward Brennan, he kept Rodrigo in his peripheral vision.
"Hello, gorgeous," he said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you ok?" She nodded, unconsciously clutching Nathaniel's hand as she stared at the man struggling to stand with distaste.
"I'm fine. I just want him to leave," she whispered. Nathaniel nodded and turned back to Rodrigo.
"You heard the lady, Rodrigo. Get out of here." With a motion of Nathaniel's head, one of the men accompanying him stepped forward and dragged the still choking man to his feet by his lapels. Before releasing him, he glanced at Nathaniel with a raised brow. "Rodrigo, if you ever come near her again or even attempt to contact her in any way, I will, personally, drop you where you stand. Are we clear?" Rodrigo felt a shiver run down his spine at the deadly chill in that voice, knowing the soldier meant every word of it. To the utter astonishment of everyone in the room, Rodrigo broke into choked laughter.
"Oh, Temperence, this is just too funny. As much as I would love to stick around and watch you introduce your past to your present, I do have plans to make." Jerking away from the man still holding him, Rodrigo attempted to smooth his lapels, giving up after several seconds and glancing toward Brennan with a grin. "I trust you'll remember our little talk." Holding his hands up in supplication as Nathaniel growled and stepped toward him, he backed toward the door. "I'm going, Nathaniel." He grew braver as he noted Brennan was holding Nathaniel back with both hands on his arm. "Talk to you soon, Temperence." His bravery fled and he practically flew from the room as the other three soldiers stepped toward him with identical murderous looks in their eyes.
"Let him go, boys," Brennan ordered, feeling her whole body start to shake in reaction, having to lean against Nathaniel to keep from falling to the floor as her quaking legs didn't want to support her weight. Feeling her trembling, Nathaniel turned fully toward her, pulling her to his chest and rubbing his hands up and down her arms, the other three gathering around and patting her back awkwardly, murmuring soothing nonsense to calm her down.
"Hey, it's ok; I've got you, Red. He's gone." She whispered something he didn't quite catch and he innocently bent his head down even with hers so he could understand what she was saying. Unfortunately, the movement didn't look innocent to Booth as he halted in the doorway of Brennan's office in shock, taking in the tableau in front of him. His wife in another man's arms, that same man appearing to be leaning down to kiss her, three other men gathered around with their hands on his Bones. His caveman roared to life and he saw red.
"Get your damn hands off my wife!" bellowed Booth, not even noticing the absolute stillness that descended on the lab at his words. He did, however, notice the clatter as people dropped things all over the lab so they could cover their ears and protect their eardrums from Angela's shrieks.
He also noticed that at his first word, the soldier, and Booth's trained eye definitely identified all four men as soldiers, holding his Bones, pushed her protectively behind his back, spinning to face the threat in the same smooth movement. The other three instantly took up similar positions so that she was completely insulated from any threat, surrounded on all sides by trained soldiers. Someone would have to go through all four of them to get to her. That, in itself wasn't so surprising. They were, after all, soldiers trained to protect the innocent. What Booth really took notice of was the smoothness, the fluidity of the movements. They almost appeared to be choreographed. His own military training told him that the only way that could happen was if these same five people had done the same thing many, many times before. What the hell had she been up to that he still didn't know about? Before he could take more than a couple of steps into the office, Angela's shrieks assaulted his eardrums yet again.
"Your what?" she yelled flying off the platform and approaching him at a clip. He winced and fought the urge to cover his ears at her approach, never taking his eyes from the scene in Brennan's office. Shit, Bones was going to kill him, but he wasn't really worried about that right now.
"Not now, Angela," he snapped, striding into Brennan's office and closing the door behind him. Striding forward, he took a moment to study the soldier staring back at him and felt his hackles rise. This could be none other than Nathaniel Pearson. Lovely. The other man in love with his wife just couldn't be a troll, could he? On no, I couldn't get that lucky thought Booth, taking stock of the younger man as he knew his stock was being taken. Early thirties, 6'3", 240 lbs of solid muscle, dark hair, blue eyes, and, unfortunately, not a troll. Booth could hear Brennan demanding that someone move and let her out but his eyes remained locked with Nathaniel's and Brennan remained safely locked away.
"You must be Nathaniel," said Booth, not really meaning his tone to be as hostile as it came out.
"And you must be the suit," an equally hostile voice returned. Booth stiffened.
"That's Special Agent Seeley Booth to you, Pearson." Nathaniel stiffened crossing his arms over his chest.
"Really? And just what makes you so special, Booth?" he snapped.
"My wife," Booth snapped back, feeling more than a little satisfaction as he noticed Nathaniel's hands curl into fists. Damn, he really hadn't meant to antagonize the man, but the other man's hands had been on his wife. Although Booth now had his doubts about just what he had interrupted, he still didn't want Pearson anywhere near Brennan. Taking a deep breath, Booth rubbed his forehead gathering his thoughts.
"Ouch!" yelled one of the other soldiers, wiggling out of position. Booth looked around to see Brennan wriggle to freedom through the small space the soldiers change in position had allowed and turn loose of his side where she had obviously just pinched him. "Dammit, Red, you know I hate it when you do that," the soldier whined pulling up his shirt and trying to see the spot. "And see, you left a bruise. Why don't you ever do that to any of them?" he queried, poking at the reddened area as if it were a mortal wound.
"Oh, don't be such a big baby, Garrett. It's not even going to leave a bruise and I wouldn't have had to do it if you had moved when I asked you to, so it's really your own fault." She bent down to closely examine the reddened area and Booth had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Looking around he saw Nathaniel's lips twitching despite his best efforts to maintain a stern face.
"Are you sure it's not going to leave a bruise?"
"Yes, Garrett, I'm sure." She soothed. Booth could practically hear her eyes rolling and turned away to hide his smile.
"For God's sakes, man up, soldier, she didn't shoot you. She just pinched you." Booth glanced at the soldier who had made the scathing comment and did a double take. He looked a lot like Garrett. No, he looked exactly like Garrett, Booth realized glancing between the two.
"I know she just pinched me, you moron, but it hurt like hell. Why doesn't she ever pinch any of you?" Garrett demanded of his twin, obviously insulted by his lack of sympathy for his suffering.
"She doesn't pinch the rest of us, you dweeb, because we don't dance around like little girls when she does it." His brother informed him.
"What? I do not dance around like a little girl," Garrett began hotly only to be interrupted by Brennan stepping between the two so smoothly that Booth couldn't help but think she had done it many, many times before.
"Boys," she said sharply and they both stood at attention. Booth was impressed. He couldn't see Nathaniel's face because it was hidden behind his hand and judging by the way his shoulders were shaking he was hiding laughter. Booth also had to turn away so they wouldn't see his smile. "Garrett, I'm sorry I had to pinch you, but you should move when I ask you to. Gavin, apologize to your brother. You were very rude."
"But he started it..," Gavin sputtered.
"Now, Gavin," she snapped.
"Fine. I'm sorry I was rude, Garrett," he gritted out. Garrett grinned tauntingly at his brother until Brennan turned to him with a raised brow.
"But.." he sputtered. Brennan didn't even have to say anything, she just looked at him levelly. "Fine. I'm sorry for whatever I did that you found offensive, Gavin." Brennan beamed at the two and looked around the room for Booth only to see him and Nathaniel on the other side of the room with their backs turned, shoulders shaking suspiciously. Before she could start across the room, she was spun around with a hand on her shoulder to face the remaining soldier.
"Damn, Red, you just had to go and get married before I could get up the courage to ask you myself, didn't you? I just want you to know you have broken my heart into, little tiny pieces that will never be healed." He told her soulfully. Booth's laughter immediately ceased as his hackles rose and he took a step toward Brennan, looking down at Nathaniel's hand on his arm in disbelief. Ignoring the look of outrage, Nathaniel shook his head and nodded toward the group.
"Just watch. She can handle herself." He told Booth softly. Booth reluctantly stood back as Brennan's hands went to her hips and she snorted in the other man's face.
"Oh, please, Alex, you probably don't even know the names of every woman whose bed you've been in this week. I highly doubt that my getting married had any effect whatsoever on your heart." Grinning sheepishly, Alex shrugged.
"What can I say? I love the ladies…,"
"And the ladies love you," finished the other three simultaneously, all four breaking into laughter.
"Congratulations, Beautiful. If he ever gives you any trouble, you just let us know and we'll take care of it." Alex pulled her into his arms for a tight hug. Booth was surprised that she allowed it, but was shocked when she returned the hug and then was passed to the other two for more hugs and congratulations, smiling and comfortable with this group as he'd never seen her with even her Jeffersonian family.
"They really love her, you know." Nathaniel said softly. Meeting and holding Booth's gaze, he clarified, "We all really love her. But she chose you and that's good enough for me, but if you ever hurt her…," Booth broke in before Nathaniel could finish the threat.
"Yeah, yeah, you'll hunt me down and kill me. Right?" Nathaniel studied him silently for a long moment before answering.
"No, not just me. She belongs to all of us. Hurt her and you'll face us all." Nathaniel didn't threaten. He made a simple statement of fact and Booth believed him. Nodding, he silently promised the other man he would take good care of the woman they both loved. With a sad smile, Nathaniel turned his gaze back on Brennan.
"How much do you know about her activities over the last three years?" Nathaniel questioned suddenly.
"Not a whole hell of a lot," Booth admitted.
"Then you better get up to speed, fast, because she has got some serious shit looming on the horizon. That's why we're here." Booth patiently waited, knowing Nathaniel had more to say. "Red made a serious enemy a few years ago, an enemy whose power and influence has grown recently who would give just about anything to get his hands on her. She hasn't been out of the country for the last three years without at least one of us by her side, usually the whole team but it all depended on where she was going and why and he's made three attempts to get to her in the last two years." Nathaniel saw by Booth's expression that this was all news to him and couldn't help but wonder if he really knew Brennan at all, but maybe that was just his own broken heart talking and this wasn't about him, it was about the woman whom every man in the room would gladly give his life to keep safe. "The one thing we've never had to worry about was him trying to snatch her on American soil, but from what we interrupted when we arrived, I'm afraid that reprieve is now over."
"Booth, why does Angela have her face pressed against the door like that?" Brennan walked up to the two men and leaned into Booth's side, his arm automatically sliding around her waist. Glancing around, he saw that Angela did, indeed, have her face pressed so tightly against the glass door that her nose appeared decidedly porcine and he had to laugh at the sight.
"Um, well, Bones, she might have overheard what I said to Nathaniel." Nathaniel smothered a laugh and walked back to his team, giving the pair some privacy. Personally, he would be surprised if the whole building hadn't heard Booth's bellows. Brennan's brows rose in question.
"About us being married, you mean?" Although that was all she recalled Booth yelling about, she had been very upset at the time and she needed clarification.
"Yeah," he replied sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Baby. I know that wasn't the best way to tell her but it threw me to see all those guys with their hands on you." She nodded her understanding and she truly did understand. She imagined she would have a similar reaction to walking in and finding four attractive women touching Booth. Actually, she imagined there would be some ass kicking involved if that ever happened. "You really should go talk to her, Baby," he urged.
"What? Why do I have to talk to her, Booth? You're the one who put us out, so I think you should talk to her." Booth had to laugh. She sounded almost panicked at the thought of facing her best friend.
"I outed us, Bones, not put us out, and you need to talk to her because she's your best friend. Baby, she's bound to be upset and she'll have a million questions that only you can answer." He tilted her face toward him with a knuckle under her chin. "Hey, what's wrong?" Finally meeting his eyes, Booth saw genuine fear in hers.
"What if she doesn't forgive me?" Booth noticed that she didn't place any blame on him.
"It's us, Baby. We're in this together. And of course, she'll forgive you. That's what best friends and family does. They forgive each other." By this time, his head had drifted down and their foreheads were resting against each other.
The four men across the room watched the exchange almost guiltily with very mixed emotions. Nathaniel felt as though each touch, each tender word sent a dagger through his heart, but he could easily see how much they cared about each other and her safety and happiness were really all that mattered and if this man could make her happy, that was good enough for him. Hell, as much as he had been prepared to hate the guy, he kind of liked him. The other three soldiers loved Brennan just as fiercely as Nathaniel, just not in the same way. She had saved each and every one of their lives more than once and they would always be looking out for her whether she liked it or not. They had also been fully prepared to hate the interloper in their midst, but he seemed like an okay guy. They were just going to make him prove his ability to keep Brennan safe before they took it as gospel. Unfortunately, they were fast approaching a trial by fire and it would be a miracle if no one was burned to cinders.