She woke up to the feeling of a hand smoothing tenderly her hair. She sighed contentedly and turned slightly to have the hand stroking her cheek.

"Booth…" she whispered with a smile.

Even though she was still under the effect of the pain killers, she felt the hand tense for a split second. It was so brief she wasn't sure it happened, but she opened her eyes all the same. Everything was misty; however she could see a face above her, a face with a surgical mask.

"It's okay, everything is going to be fine, Temperance…"

The voice seemed far away, and everything was just blurred, she felt confused, dizzy and lost.

"Doc…Doctor Brennan…" she stammered, trying to focus but unable to. Her tongue was so heavy in her mouth, speaking was hard. The man chuckled.

"I'm the nurse, I'm just checking on you…" he said quietly.

She nodded weakly. Back in her mind, she knew something was wrong, she couldn't shake the feeling that she should call Booth, but she wasn't able to think more about it. She didn't have the energy to fight the exhaustion and the effect of the drug she had just taken, so she went back to sleep.

When she woke up again, she was feeling better and was able to spot Booth in the chair beside her. He was watching her and smiled when he saw her awake.

"Hey, sleepyhead, feeling better?" he said softy, rising to kiss her.

She was feeling groggy but at least, she was able to speak, to think and to see clearly.

"Actually, I am. How long I've been out? Did you see Aubrey?"

His smile faded.

"Bones, just rest, please, we're working on this, but you have to rest…"

She frowned at him.

"There's been another letter, hasn't it? Can I see it?"

Booth shook his head. Sometimes he hated how smart she was. For someone who didn't believe in gut feeling, she was annoyingly right most of the time, even without bones in her hands.

"Have you heard a single word I've just said?"

"I have, Booth, but I'm fine, and I know how to take care of myself!"

"Damn it Bones! There is a murderer out there who is stalking you and who almost killed you!"

"But he didn't, and you need me to find him, you know that!" she replied stubbornly.

The truth was she hated being helpless about her own fate, and even if she trusted her husband with her life, she needed to act, to feel useful. Booth knew her, he couldn't ask her to just stay put at home while all the people she loved risked their lives to find the killer.

Booth sighed and his face softened.

"I need you to be alive with me for at least fifty years…" he said quietly, taking her hand between his.

She didn't know how he did to always find the words to reach her and to soften her. He made her feel vulnerable and stronger at the same time, they have been together for years, but that mix of emotions was still confusing to her. The way he made her melt, and yet tough, was a mystery. She wished she had the same skill…

"I know we need you to catch him, it doesn't mean I have to like it…" he added.

She wanted to reassure him, but a nurse entered the room, interrupting her.

"Check time!" the older woman said with a smile.

"I've already been checked…" observed Brennan.

The nurse looked at her, confused and shook her head.

"I've just seen the duty nurse, she hasn't checked on you yet…"

The nurse took the file clipped on the bed and browsed it

"And according to this, you haven't been checked yet, not since you took your treatment…"

Brennan frowned, her stomach clenching with what Booth would call a bad feeling.

"I've been checked earlier, and it was a male… He came and he told me he was here to check on me…"

Her voice was steady, but her face had gone paler than usual. Booth clenched his fists, feeling suddenly sick at his stomach, when the nurse answered.

"There are two men working here as nurses, one is in Paris right now, and the other left for a few days to get married in Florida…"

The nurse looked almost afraid when she saw the FBI agent jumping on his feet, his jaw set and his eyes hard.

"When was it, Bones? How was he?"

Bones looked at him, confused.

"I… I don't know, just after Angela left, I was groggy then, I couldn't see his face though, he was wearing a surgical mask… "

"Did he touch you? Did he give you anything?"

He was frantic now, she tried to remember but everything was just a haze.

"He was smoothing my hair… But I don't think he gave me anything… He just told me he was checking on me… And he called me Temperance…"

Booth seemed about to explode. The idea of that bastard touching her was driving him crazy and terrified him.

"Call the doctor, you have to make sure he hadn't given her anything! Do you have any security camera?"

The nurse nodded, her eyes wide.

"I want to watch the records!"

"Booth…"

He held a hand to stop her. He was angry, at himself mostly, for leaving her. The first time he left, she almost died, and now, that bastard had touched her. He could almost hear Sweet's voice in his head, "it's not your fault agent Booth, she was with Angela, with an agent guarding her room, and what place could be safer than a hospital…" Except it wasn't safe, not anymore. Everything seemed out of control, they didn't have a clue about who this guy was, they just knew what he wanted, and Booth would die before he let this monster lay a single finger on his wife. He felt overwhelmed by anger and fear, and couldn't handle her claiming to be strong enough to fight by herself.

"Don't Bones, okay, just don't… Not now"

She had never seen him that upset, except maybe with the Pelant's case. So she kept quiet. The nurse ran outside to warn the doctor, while he took his phone and dialed a number.

"Yeah Aubrey… He came to see her… I don't have time to explain, I want you here to take the footage from the surveillance camera… We're looking for a man, probably wearing a surgical mask… I know many men in a hospital fit the description Aubrey! Just do it and focus on Bones' room! "

He hanged up and yelled.

"Agent Jamison!"

A tall man came in, looking between Brennan and Booth, puzzled by the other agent's expression.

"Yes sir?"

"Did you leave your post?"

"You have an agent guarding my room?" Bones exclaimed, her eyes wide with a mix of annoyance and surprise.

She had been sleeping a lot lately, she didn't notice anything, but he could have told her at least, and she felt exasperated. He had always been overprotective, but they had agreed to always be honest about that.

Frustrated, Booth ignored her and focused all his attention on the young agent, who seemed all of a sudden very uncomfortable. Booth had asked for three agents, but he had been allowed to have only one agent, and it pissed him off.

"Did you leave your post?"

His voice was icy and Agent Jamison understood what the others meant about his protectiveness towards his wife.

"I… I had to pee, sir…"

Booth caught him by the collar, his face merely an inch from Jamison's.

"Your order was not to leave, not on any account!" he said through gritted teeth.

The agent didn't know what was happening, he had seen the nurse rushing outside, but he had thought it was for a medical reason.

"I… I am sorry…"

"Booth, he can't ignore a physical urge, every human being is subjected to numerous imperatives of physical order, such as the gravity, breathing, drinking, eating, the need for sexual activity, or the need to relieve itself like he did. Well, not really every human being, since I can resist all these urges for a very long time, but I'm quite exceptional, so…"

Booth blinked at her several seconds, before letting go of the agent.

"I'll have two agents taking your place... Go!"

The agent nodded and left the room. Booth's shoulders slumped.

"How are you feeling Bones?" he asked without looking at her.

"I'm fine… Booth, maybe it wasn't him… Maybe the nurse is wrong… And if it was him, he didn't do anything to hurt me…"

Booth turned to look at her. His eyes showed so much distress she felt her heart constrict.

"So, what do you suggest, what am I supposed to do? Just let him be until he hurts you? I can't do that, Bones, you know I can't lose you… Would you do that if it was me instead of you?"

Bones raised her hand until he took it and came to sit next to her. He kissed her knuckles and her forehead.

"No I wouldn't… But you don't have to fight by yourself, we are stronger together, we have always been stronger together…"

Booth closed his eyes, his nose in her hair. Then he nodded and whispered before kissing her hard.

"Together…"

Thank you so much for your nice reviews, for taking the time to correct my mistakes, for being here to read this story!

I watched Bones yesterday, and what can I say, that punch was just so perfect and so Bones! And next week episode seems to be epic, I can't wait!

Take care, be kind, (let a review), and see you soon!