Thank you all for your positive responses. Lauwy(even if there was a remote possibility of saving Brennan he would have taken it), adorkablesalad, bookwormlady, aadams00 (yeah one of the reasons I kept Max in this story, GalaxieGurl, Victoria, NatesMama (sorry to disappoint, Booth's not gonna do that, thought he would like to), FaithinBones, ZinaR.

Brennan struggled to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavier than they should. She blinked, trying to clear her blurred vision. It was dark and the air smelt musty. Her head felt heavy. She shivered involuntarily from the cold. Slowly she sat up, fighting a wave of dizziness, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the low light. She tried to take stock of her surroundings. She moved her arms and legs experimentally, relieved to find that she wasn't bound or gagged. She realized she didn't seem to be physically harmed either. She began to realize that it was so dark she could barely make out the outline of her hand infront of her face.

Her foggy brain tried to recall what had happened that had resulted in her current predicament. She had received a phonecall informing her that Christine had been hurt in school and had been taken to the hospital. She had made a dash for her car without thinking to call Booth. Booth! He had been right. Despite the situation she loathed to think of him telling her "I told you so." Her next thoughts were that Booth would be worried sick, and was probably trying desperately to find her.

She remembered approaching her car in the Jeffersonian parking garage, then a cloth round her nose and mouth. Her last recollected sensations were of suffocation and terror. The next thing she remembered was waking up wherever she was.

She gingerly got to her feet, slowly feeling her way through the darkness. She strained her ears, trying to listen for a way out, hoping her ears would make up for what her eyes could not see. It was freezing cold and she started to recognize signs of hypothermia in herself. Her breathing was becoming slow and shallow and she was tripping over her own feet. She stumbled onto the cold, hard ground, her breath knocked out of her as she fell. She knew she had to fight it but the lethargy was overwhelming. All she wanted to do was to curl up into a ball and fall asleep. She was tired. So very tired.

..

Eric marched Booth through the woods behind his farmhouse. Booth wasn't sure how long they had walked but he was afraid they would bump into one of Tom's HRT guys and spook Eric.

"So you're a fan of Pelant's huh?" Booth asked, trying to distract Eric and also make sense of the serial killer's thought process.

"Pelant was brilliant but he made a fatal mistake."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"He underestimated you."

"And you won't?"

Eric chuckled, refusing to answer Booth, he rambled on. "He tried to rush things, he should've known Temperance isn't one to be rushed. She needs her time and space. Just like it took her time to like you."

Eric fell silent again, as if deep in thought. They marched on for an inordinate amount of time and Booth was beginning to think that perhaps it was all a trap. He had enough.

"We've walked far enough. Where is she?" Booth turned ignoring the barrel of his gun that was pointed at his face.

"She's safe. Somewhere."

"Safe? You didn't cut her? Like you did the others?"

"The others were temporary. Substitutes for the real prize. Temperance… she's for keeps."

"So you won't hurt her?"

"That's… for me to know only."

"Son of a - "

Eric laughed. "I knew I would never hold a candle to you. You're all FBI and big and strong. But with you out of the way… Temperance would see me for who I really am."

Booth now understood that Eric was never going to lead him to Brennan. He had to find a way to keep himself and Eric alive if he wanted to see his wife again.

"On your knees." Eric demanded, Booth's gun still aimed at his head.

Booth fell to his knees obediently.

…

"Team leader suspect seems to be about to take out Agent Booth. Do I have the green light?"

Tom's HRT sniper's voice came over the comm channel.

"You're sure Agent Booth's life is in danger?" Tom asked.

"Affirmative."

"Do you have a shot?"

"Clear shot."

"Take it but do not shoot to kill."

"Roger that."

…

Kneeling, Booth looked up defiantly at Eric.

"It's time to say goodbye Agent Booth."

From the corner of his eye, Booth saw a slight glint of metal in the distance and he instinctively knew what he had to do. He threw his body forward, tackling Eric to the ground at almost the same instant that he heard his gun go off in his ear. Almost simultaneously he heard a bullet whizz past them, narrowly missing their heads.

Booth battled Eric for the gun, the loud gunshot from his own gun when Eric had pulled the trigger, ringing in his ear. Physically stronger, Booth pinned Eric to the ground and wrestled the weapon from his hand, punching the man in the gut. He straddled the serial killer between his knees, raising his hand, about to strike Eric in the face when he felt a hand close round his wrist.

"Booth stop!"

It was Aubrey. Booth shrugged Aubrey off, his anger at Eric for taking Brennan now unleashed, he punched Eric in the face. Eric's nose seemed to explode in a pool of fresh blood. About to rain more punches on the man cowering on the ground, Booth felt arms wrapping round him, restraining him, pulling him to his feet, away from Eric.

"Stop it Booth!"

Booth fought against the arms of Aubrey and the HRT sniper who was now at the scene. The rest of the HRT team arrived shortly after and swiftly cuffed Eric who was still on the ground.

"You've just signed her death warrant!" Eric spat the blood from his split lip.

"No! This was your doing!" Booth struggled against Aubrey and the sniper to reach Eric.

Tom Corbin physically put himself between Booth and the suspect. He turned to his men. "Take the suspect into custody."

With Eric gone Aubrey and the HRT sniper released Booth from their grasp. Booth let out a shout of frustration, running his hand through his hair, he stormed back towards Tom, anger still written all over his face.

"You were about to take out the only lead we had to her!"

Aubrey and the sniper quickly positioned themselves between Booth and Tom, afraid that Booth would lose control again.

"I wasn't!" Tom took a step towards Booth, not intimidated. "My instructions were to wound, not to kill. If Dr Brennan's really gone, at least your kids will still have you. I was saving your life!"

Booth glanced at the HRT sniper, who nodded his head, confirming his team leader's words.

Booth rested his hands on his hips, trying to take steadying breaths. Eric's words echoed in his ears. He paced in circles round the other three men.

"Booth." Aubrey looked at the senior agent, concern in his eyes, trying to stop Booth's pacing.

Booth shook his head at his partner, blinking back tears. He stopped pacing, pointing into the woods. "She's still out there! We don't know what he's done to her. We're running out of time. She could be running out of time."

"We know that." Aubrey replied gently. "Angela and everyone else is working every angle they have. I called them once Eric made me leave his house. Everyone could see that the scumbag had set a trap for you."

Booth nodded. Deep down inside he had known it too. "I had to be sure."

"We'll find her Booth." Tom approached his friend, offering his comfort.

Booth nodded. "Tom, I ah… appreciate you looking out for me."

Tom nodded. "Hey I'm just the HRT muscle. You're the master interrogator. Go get the information you need out of that sick bastard. You'll find her."

Booth nodded his thanks as Tom and his team sniper made their way back out of the woods.

Booth retrieved his gun that had been discarded on the ground in his scuffle with Eric. He holstered it and together with Aubrey started for the farmhouse.

"Thanks Aubrey. If you weren't there, I'd have beat that sonova bitch to death."

"And nobody would've blamed you. Well maybe Internal Affairs but…" Aubrey shrugged, "…the rest of us wouldn't have cared."

"So you swept the area, the barn? No sign of her."

"I looked. She wasn't there. But…" Aubrey stopped in his tracks, unsure if Booth should know.

Booth stopped, turning to his partner. "Spit it out Aubrey."

Aubrey sighed. "The barn was obviously where he did his dirty work. There was dried blood, a lot of it. But you know that doesn't mean anything. It could belong to other the three victims."

Booth closed his eyes, his mind again trying to erase the images of a dead Brennan.

"The Jeffersonian is sending a team out here as we speak. If she was here, we'll find something that'll lead us to her."

Booth nodded. Would they find her in time? The partners continued walking, puffs of white smoke appearing in the cold air with each breath they exhaled. It was a bitterly cold winter and the FBI tactical gear did little to keep them warm. Up ahead the farmhouse loomed.

"What took you so long anyway? When I was in the house with Eric."

Aubrey shrugged, embarrassed. "I kinda took a spill. Tripped over something on the ground."

Booth again stopped walking. Something at the back of his mind nagged at him. He turned to face Aubrey, thinking out loud. "You found evidence that this is where Eric takes the women he kidnaps."

"Yeah. Probably keeps them in the barn or maybe in the farmhouse."

"She's not in the house."

"And not in the barn."

"He told me, Bones was his ultimate prize. The others were just substitutes. He was a fan of Pelant. He knew Bones would never wanna be with him. He thought that if he got rid of me, and gave her time, she would start to like him and he might stand a chance."

"So?"

"So if Bones is who he wants, it would make sense he would keep her close to him right?"

"Makes sense."

"And you swept his apartment, she's not there."

"Nope."

"And this is like his secret hideaway."

"You're on to something here."

Booth's eyes lit up. "I think I know where Bones is."

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