Brennan sat on the bathroomfloor, tears silently running over her cheeks. She didn't wipe them away, as there were bruises scattered over her face and she had a split lip. She was cradling her left arm to her chest, her wrist was broken. There were small pieces of glass embedded in her right hand. She'd tried to remove them, but had to stop because the pain in her left wrist was to much to stand. All of a sudden a sound made her eyes shift from the floor to the door in front of her. Someone knocked on the door.
Could that be...?
No, off course not Temperance.
He SENT you AWAY.
He doesn't want you, he...
She was interrupted when she heard his voice loud and clear: "What the hell happened and where is Bones?" She sighed in relief.
He was here. For a moment it didn't matter that he had sent her away. The only thing that matters was that he was HERE, for HER.
Booth kept staring at his brother.
He knew this was not going to be easy. Although he could coax serial killers into confessing the most horrible crimes, he had a slight disadvantage with Jared. He was his brother. He could get him to confess things, but Jared also knew how to make HIM say and do things without thinking them through. So he took a deep breath and repeated his question:
"What the hell happened in here and where is Bones?"
Brennan closed her eyes trying to collect herself so she could get up. She knew it wouldn't be easy.
After Jared had treatened Seeley last night her last resolve had been broken. She'd been prepared to fight for her freedom, no matter what the cost might have been. Even if that would've meant dying.
But she couldn't let Jared hurt Booth.
Booth had to much to live for.
His son, his work, he made a difference in the world. In Parkers world.
She opened her eyes and moved but immediately stopped as a sharp pain traveled through her body.
Afther the treat, she hadn't fought back again. She had simply taken the beating.
A single tear ran over her cheek when she realized that that decision had now prevented her from getting to Booth. Jared would convince him to leave her appartment. Leave her...
And there was nothing she could do about it...
She couldn't even get up and unlock the door.
If only Seeley knew how where I was...
But wait, she could do that. She could let him know. All that she would have to do was to call out for him. He would come for her, wouldn't he?
She was almost certain. But there was that little voice in her mind that said: He doesn't want you. And so she remained seated on the bathroomfloor, her arm cradled to her chest, crying softly, desperate to call out yet finding herself unable to do so...
Booth was slowly but surely losing his patience. Jared hadn't said anything yet, a sure sign that he was hiding something.
And that, Booth realized, meant that she was still here. He was hiding her...
"Listen Jared. If you know where she is, I wanna know NOW!"
"You really wanna see her, Seeley ? You "CARE" about her, now don't you?" Jared said using air quotes.
"Of course I wanna see her. I care about her a lot Jared, what the hell are you talking about ?"
Booth was starting to get really angry with his brother. Jared grins at him and simply says:"Okay ..."
He gets up and goes to the bathroom, where he unlocks and opens the door.
Brennan had been thinking about the pros and cons of calling out for Booth. She knew that if he would hear her, he wouldn't stop searching the apartment until he had found her. But that also meant that he would probably have to fight Jared to do so.
I can't put him in any danger, I really can't.
Besides he doesn't want me, and now that I'm looking like this, I can't really blame him.
The decision however was made for her when the bathroom door opened. She sighed in relief, thinking it would be Booth.
And it was.
There was only one problem.
She wasn't staring into Seeleys warm and comfortable gaze but into Jareds brown eyes, radiating with anger.
He grabbed her by her upper arms as she lets out a scream when the pain of the movements shoot up through her body.
Originating in her wrist, shooting up her arm to settle uncomfortably in her waist.
He pushes her out of the bathroom, in to the living.
"Well, here she is, Seel. Here she is."
He gave her a violent push towards his brother, but as soon as Jared lets go of her, she falls to the floor, curling up in to a ball, lying on her right side to prevent any more damage to her wrist or abdomen.
Booth is shocked when he sees her curl up into a ball, rolling away from him.
He has been hitting her.
That shocking realization sends chills down his spine.
With his brother still shocked into silence Jared continues.
"So you still think she's worth it ?"
"Mhhh ? You still think she's pretty !"
"Man don't you see she's just worthless ... she's just some bitch that ..."
Bitch.
That was the word that shocked him out of it.
In NO WAY Bones was a bitch.
He turned to Jared and stopped him from finishing that sentence effectively breaking his nose.
Still fuming with anger, he decides that he can deal with Jared later.
First, I have to help Bones.
He sat down besides her and went to place a hand on her shoulder.
Before he even touched her, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him to his feet. He quickly spun around to see Jared standing behind him. He was holding his bleeding nose with one hand, the other was rested on Seeleys shoulder.
"Let go of me, Jared. Don't make this worse than it already is."
Confident that his brother will back of now, he turns his attention back to Bones. As soon as he hears Jared moving closer to him he stands again.
They both stare at each other. Each standing on another side of Temperance. Slowly they started circling each other.
"Listen to me Jared and listen good cause I'm only saying this once."
Seeley paused for the effect.
"You either let me get her to a hospital and call the FBI to come get you or you can fight me and end up in the hospital yourself. Got it?"
Jared bowed with a big and mocking gesture.
"Sure, Bro. I have just one question. You just got out of a coma. You can't fight me and actually expect to win."
Booth returned his stare and hissed:
"Try me."