Salve. Jeez, when I wrote this chapter, I didn't realize how short it was. Well, look at it this way…I'm updating pretty quickly after my last update, and my next update is going to be in a few days…So the shortness is to be expected. It's not that it's a filler chapter. It's just how it ended up being written.

Disclaimer: I don't own AF or Bones.

Chapter Nine

Stars consumed their words for a moment.

"Artemis, how much of what Orion said was true?"

"There was only one truth to it; the rest was rubbish."

"What was the truth?"

"That I am in love with you."

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"Whoa," Booth said, entering Holly's torn up apartment. "Someone was pretty angry."

"I'd imagine so, since we are trying to catch them," Brennan said, pushing past Booth to examine the body. "Caucasian male, early twenties. His bone structure seems to be similar to that of Zach Evans. Perhaps they were related."

"That might be Luke. The guy Holly brought in? The second victim was his cousin," Booth said.

"Wait, Meredith was his cousin?"

"No, Zach was."

"Zach was the first victim," Brennan said.

"But he was the second one we found," Booth insisted.

"Yes, but that's not the order they were killed. Atropos probably killed Zach and then hid his body. Then she killed Meredith. There was probably some way that Zach could have been connected to her, but by killing Meredith it made Luke look guilty," Brennan said.

"So, what, this is like a Silence of the Lambs thing?"

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

Booth coughed. "Sorry, I forgot that you don't own a DVD player."

"I own a DVD player."

"Well, you never use it."

"Yes I do. Not very often, though."

Booth shook his head. "Nevermind." He paused to answer a call on his cellphone, and Brennan went back to examining the body.

"We have to go," Booth said, snapping his phone shut. Brennan stood up and began to gather her tools, but Booth grabbed her arm. "Now. There's no time."

"What is it?"

"They know where to look for Holly."

"Okay."

"And Artemis went after her, alone."

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Artemis was actually pretty fast. He managed to get to Anna's house before Booth. Of course, it was by mere seconds, and Booth sped ahead to cut him off.

"You don't actually think you're going in there alone, do you?" Booth asked, stepping in front of Artemis.

Artemis Fowl was smart enough to know when he was right and when he was wrong. He was smart enough not to let his emotions control his decisions. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to rescue Holly on his own. He needed Booth's help, and he acknowledged it.

He stepped back to allow Booth to lead. "I am going in with you, though."

Booth could understand that. He remembered the time when he had been injured (after getting blown up). He had needed to go rescue his partner that night. It was just one of those things.

"Brennan, is there anything I can say to you to get you to stay here?" Booth asked.

"No."

"Of course not."

They first searched the house as quietly as possible, finding no one. Finally, they came to their senses and approached the barn as silently as possible. Booth motioned for them to stay behind, and he kicked open the door, gun out. What they found that day would haunt their memories for long periods of time. A deranged blond woman was screaming something about sparks and healing and someone named Epione. She was crouched next to a chair, cutting repeatedly. She looked up when the door opened, and saw them standing there. Her eyes were wild, and her knife was dripping with Holly's blood. She locked onto Artemis. "Asclepius, at last you come for your wife." She lifted her arm to throw the knife, but Booth shot her. It was the best thing, really. Atropos was beyond reason, beyond hope. She was lost to reality, to sanity. Artemis waited for the body to fall before he rushed forward to help Holly, who was unconscious from what he thought was blood loss.

End Notes: Yeah….I apologize again for the short chapter. And I really couldn't resist the Silence of the Lambs reference. Please let me know what you think.

Love and Skittles,

Holly Marie Fowl