Disclamer: I don't own Bones. I know shocker:)
Brennan still hadn't heard from Booth and was incredibly panicked about Parker. She knew only a small amount of what this woman was capable of but it was enough to terrify her. Driving faster than would ever be considered safe she finally pulled up to the address she had been given and found herself in front of an old warehouse. It had clearly been abandoned for years and just the sight of it struck fear in Brennan's heart. Nothing good ever happened in an old abandoned warehouse. Since one of the side doors was propped open she entered there and was greeted with a horrific sight and an equally terrible greeting.
"Dr. Brennan so glad you could join us here today." Booth's ex-fiance (at least we can assume she's now an ex) Jennifer was standing behind a chair with Parker tied and gagged to its seat. His brown eyes looked so scared and Brennan could see the tear tracks from where he had been crying before. Seeing him there broke her heart and she knew she had to do whatever she could to keep him safe.
"I'm here so you can let Parker go now. You don't want to hurt a child, it will only make things worse for you."
"Thanks for the advice but I'm not ready to do that quite yet. I do have a reputation to keep after all."
"Why are you doing this? This isn't smart or rational and I assumed that you would know that. You did not become this powerful because you go around arbitrarily kidnapping people."
"You are correct once again, Dr. Brennan, but this is a special circumstance that needs a special touch. I'm doing this because Booth deserves to be taught a lesson and I want to be the one to do it this time. Sure it would be easy to pay someone to take him out or even you but I want him to suffer for this and this way he will because he will blame himself for what happens to the two of you. He'll know he shouldn't play around with things way above his pay grade. He's obviously in love with you and he deserves to be punished for trying to play me even though I was also playing him. I got to say he's good though. I didn't know he was playing me for awhile there. That's rare someone pulls one over on me."
"How'd you find out he was playing you?" Brennan asked not bothering to deny it and hoping if she kept her talking Booth would show up soon.
"How did I know? I have people everywhere so it was bound to get out especially when he confesses everything to you loudly on the side of the road. He really should have been more careful and ended it earlier." Jennifer responded waving her gun around. She looked crazy but Brennan knew she was more in control than she let on.
"You did a pretty good job playing him too. I thought you were just some annoying whiny woman Booth for some unknown reason fell in love with. Never would have thought you were a crazy murderer."
"Why do you think I've never been caught? People always underestimate me but now I get my revenge on the man who finally gured me out. His son and the woman he loves."
"He doesn't love me." Brennan said almost automatically still hardly believing Booth ever would love her.
"Don't play the idiot. You're going to die soon so there's really no need to pretend anymore. You were pretty devastated when you found out about our relationship. In fact it was even to the point that I began to wonder if he didn't actually hate you for some reason. Putting you through that pain. In fact, you should have been my first clue. He would never propose to someone else when he was so in love with you but I must say I just assumed he was too much of a coward to tell you. The proposal threw me off guard but I thought had him. Now I see he was just trying to bring me in deeper. That's my fault for letting my guard down though and I'm gong to have to rectify my mistake."
"What are you going to do? Shoot us?"
"You should know by now that I'm way more creative than that. I called Booth but he hasn't answered for some reason. Doesn't matter though anyway he has one more hour. If he doesn't get here I will leave and this warehouse is going to have a little bit of a smoke problem."
"And if he gets here on time?" Brennan said not believing that there was anyway to make it out of here alive. She just hoped she could help Parker.
"Then I'm just going the simple way and shooting you. Ends the same either way really."
"Please just let Parker go. You can't kill him he's a child. Let him go." Brennan could see Parker was terrified and no child should have to go through this. She had a huge almost maternal need to protect him.
"You don't seem to understand that I don't care. I am every bit of the monster that people say I am and he never should have messed with me. So let's have you sit down in this chair and I won't shoot Parker right now. How's that for a compromise?"
Brennan did as she was told but she had never been one to give up without a fight. As she walked up to the chair she attempted to get the gun from Jennifer as one last try to get Parker and her out of this alive. Unfortunately, Jennifer proved to be just as adept at fighting as Brennan was and since she had the gun she won. Brennan was awarded for her troubles with a shot in the arm.
"Don't do that again. I tell you to sit you sit. I am just as dangerous as they all say." Jennifer threatened livid that Brennan was not doing as she said.
Brennan knew struggling wasn't going to help anymore. She just had to hope Booth could do something to save them. She was gagged and tied and the worst part was she couldn't see Parker anymore but could still hear his whimpers. He had seen her get shot and she could feel the blood dripping down her arm but there was nothing she could do to help either one of them.
"You know I've got to say it was pretty fun being so close to so many law enforcement officials and not one doing anything to stop me. Even with everything Booth tried to do he still has nothing on me. After this there still won't be any actual forensic evidence and you more than anyone Dr. Brennan should know that hearsay doesn't hold a whole lot of sway in the criminal justice system. Now you two behave yourselves and I'll see you in a little bit."
Jennifer walked out of the room then and since both Brennan and Parker were gagged they spent most of the next hour in silence. Their chairs were across the room from each other facing away which made the whole situation worse. They also didn't know what time it was so had no idea what was going to happen to them and when. Brennan's only hope was that Jennifer hadn't referred to shooting Parker earlier so if Booth got here on time maybe Parker would live. When she heard the sound of high heels coming back into the room though she knew her hope would be short lived.
"Well friends. It's been an hour and he's not here so I guess we'll just move on. Sorry guys." Jennifer said as she entered the room waving her gun and a small box looking item Brennan could only assume was going to cause the explosion. "I'm going to leave and then this place is going to go down in flames with a little boom to start it off with. Good luck with that. Oh and if you think maybe Booth can get here before that happens. I happen to know that he isn't even on his way here and as your drive showed you Dr. Brennan that is a very long trip to make it here when this building is about to explode but who knows maybe he can swoop in. I would start praying. Good bye now and good luck."
Jennifer left with that and Brennan closed her eyes waiting for the boom she knew was coming soon and she didn't have long to wait. The explosion threw Brennan to the ground. Her chair was splintered and she knew she could get the ropes off but she now had a metal sheet lying on top of her. Her legs were still tied but she was able to get one hand free to remove her gag.
"Parker? Parker? Can you hear me? Parker?"
"Bones? Where are you?"
"Oh thank god. Parker are you okay?"
"I'm okay Bones but everything really hurts."
"It's okay buddy. You're going to be okay. Is anything broken?"
"I don't think so. Where are you Bones? I'm scared."
"I'm in the corner. Can you get up?"
"I'm trying but there's stuff all over me though."
"I know. I know. There's something on me too but we're going to be fine. I can't get out though buddy so you're going to have to do it yourself."
"Okay. I can do it."
"I know you can. You're strong just like your Dad." Brennan could hear Parker struggling to free himself as she did the same.
"I did it Bones. I'm out. Where are you?"
"I'm over here. In the corner." Brennan could here Parker headed towards her and was trying to find any way to help them both as his face filled her view.
"Parker are you okay?"
"I'm okay. I'm scared. Daddy tells me not to be but I can't help it."
"I know but you're going to be okay and it's okay to be scared but we're going to be fine. Trust me."
"You're bleeding Bones."
"It's just some scratches. This sheet is on me and I can't get it off. Can you help me? Lift on the count of three." Parker helped lift the sheet while Brennan was grateful Parker was big enough now to help them both and then he moved to untie her ropes. As he did that she examined her other injuries and found that a pole had punctured her side. It was fairly deep and she knew she shouldn't touch it but it had to come out to keep Parker calm. Her only goal right now was getting him out before the entire warehouse went down. She could smell the smoke all around them and it was getting harder to see but luckily she hadn't seen flames yet and the room itself seemed to be holding.
"Thanks for your help Parker. Now listen to me. Your dad is going to find us and we are going to be just fine. You know him, he always saves us. It's getting smoky though so we need to try to find an exit out of here and your dad will meet us okay? Come on I'm going to need your help." Parker and Brennan both started stumbling through the room trying desperately to find a way out. Brennan realized that the detonation had been around the perimeter putting a lot of debris between them and the outside. The longer they looked though the more smoke surrounded them and Brennan's wounds kept bleeding. The pole had been deeper than she had originally thought and was now worried it had hit something vital.
"Okay, Parker. I think we are just going to have to try moving things to find the outside okay. Every few seconds I want you to call out for your Dad maybe someone will hear us. I'll do it too." She knew there wasn't a lot they could do but needed to keep Parker from getting too scared and hoped that Booth would come. She might not pray but had complete faith that Booth would come.
"Okay Bones. Should we do it here? There's a little light maybe it's the outside."
"That's perfect Parker. You really are just like your Dad aren't you? Very observant."
"Is he going to find us?" Parker asked in a very small voice making Brennan take Parker in her arms.
"What does your Daddy always tell you?"
"That he'll always be there for me."
"Exactly. He always is you just have to have faith in him."
"Okay. I will."
"Good. Now help me out here." They began digging and after about 5 minutes Brennan wasn't sure she could keep going. She was worried she was going to black out and knew that would terrify Parker.
"Okay Parker I'm going to sit down for just a second. Just keep yelling for help okay?" Parker kept working and Brennan kept feeling worse. She was only going to be able to stay awake a little longer but needed to help Parker as much as possible. She couldn't let him die and cause Booth to live with that kind of pain. She knew he wouldn't survive it so she got back up and started digging again as Parker called out again.
"Help! Daddy! Help us!" This time was different though because Parker got a response.
"Parker? Bones?" It was hard to hear but it was unmistakably Booth.
"Daddy?!?"
"Parker? Where are you?"
"We're here Daddy. Help us." Brennan sank to the floor in relief.
"It's Dad Bones. He's here." Parker said crouching beside her.
"See I told you your Dad would find us. Go to his voice Parker. Help him find you."
"You have to come too, Bones. You're going to be okay now. Dad's here."
"I can't go right now Parker but I need you to go to him okay. You need to get out of here and tell him where I am. Be my brave kid okay?"
"Okay. I love you Bones."
"I love you too, Parker and I love your Dad. Tell him that okay?"
"Okay. I'll get him to come." Brennan was so relieved Parker was going to be okay and now she could finally rest. As Parker went to his Dad she laid back down as the smoke got to thick to see him.
"I'll be right back, Bones." He called back to her before calling for his Dad.
"Step back Parker. We have a machine moving the debris to get you out." It took just a few minutes and then Parker could finally see Booth's face.
"Daddy?"
"Parker thank goodness. Are you okay?" Booth asked pulling him from the rubble and into his arms so grateful his son was alive.
"I'm okay Daddy but Bones isn't. She couldn't come with me. She's still down there. You have to find her." Parker said in tears. He didn't want Brennan to be hurt.
"Bones was here with you. She found you? Where is she?" Booth knew that Brennan had been on her way out here and was both relieved and terrified she had been here for Parker.
"On the floor underneath where you dug me out."
"Okay you stay right here with the paramedic okay. He's going to take care of you."
"Hurry Daddy you have to help Bones. She was getting really tired and she had blood on her." This was a stab to Booth's heart since he knew it was his fault that she had been there in the first place. If she died she was going to be doing it protecting his son. Something Booth had failed to do.
"Get me a rope to help me get her out of there."
"You can't go in there sir. It's too unstable. We are trying to put the fire out, just wait."
"You are insane if you think I'm leaving her down there. Now you either help me or I'll do it alone." The look on Booth's face left no room for argument his eyes fierce with determination. The woman he loved was in there and he was going to save her. She couldn't die before he at least had the chance to fully kiss her. He needed her and she was not going to die because of him. The paramedics gave him a flashlight and a cable in case Brennan needed a lift getting out and then Booth headed back into the warehouse amazed it had caved in as much as it had and unable to see much through the smoke. Jennifer clearly had not wanted them coming out and it was a miracle Bones and Parker were alive. It showed how brave they both were.
"Bones? I'm coming in there. Can you hear me? Answer me, Bones. I'm not used to you being so quiet. Bones? Please talk to me."
Booth finally caught sight of her and was instantly seized with fear. She was unconscious and he couldn't see her breathing. The only thought going through his mind as he reached her was that she couldn't be dead. She just couldn't.
"Bones? Can you hear me? Bones! There was no movement but he was able to find a pulse. "Okay just hold on baby. I'm going to get you out of here. I will not let you die on me."
He scooped her up in his arms and tied the cable around her using it as a guide to get back out. He called out to the rescue workers outside to help pull them out. When they reached outside the paramedics surrounded her and moved them both away from the building. Even now though Booth felt no relief since he knew how badly this could end. Booth wouldn't leave Brennan's side praying for her to come back to him.
"Bones? Bones? You have to wake up. Come on." He pleaded with her. "You can't do this to me. I need to see those beautiful eyes of yours again."
"Sir." The paramedic interrupted his pleas. "She's alive but barely. She's lost a lot of blood and we believe she punctured her liver and kidney. She shouldn't even be alive right now." That was his Bones always beating the odds. "e have to get her to the hospital. Please let go so we can get her in the rig."
"I'm going with her. My son too."
"Sir we need room to work and your son is scared and needs to go to the hospital too. Ride with him and you will get there the same time. You can see her then."
"Fine." Booth responded knowing the paramedic was right. He left go of her hand and watched as they loaded her in the ambulance and then went to his son's side who was sitting in the ambulance looking pretty good considering what he had gone through. Parker had miraculously made it with only a few scratches but Booth knew he never would have found him without Bones in there keeping Parker calm.
"How are you doing Parker?"
"I'm fine Daddy but Bones isn't. She came to save me and told me to keep calling for you. That's how you found us. She protected me."
"I know she did. She loves you and I'm glad she was here to help you. I wish I would have been here for you." Booth responded close to tears along with his son.
"She can't die Dad." Parker said in a broken voice. "She loves us both."
"She's not going to. She won't do that to us." He said pulling Parker to him as the ambulance started for the hospital praying he wasn't lying to his son.
This story has taken on a life of its own and I've never really written anything like this before but the next chapter will be full of fluffy goodness. I promise!