All right, people, I need some reviews here. Musie is getting whiny and threatening to stop writing. So, come on, and help me out here. I even gave you gratuitous shower sex in this one.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Booth quietly closed the door to Brennan's office and approached the four men who were lounging on the lower steps of the center platform, noting the fatigue on their faces, in the slumps of their shoulders. He was tired, too, but they didn't really have a lot of time, so they were going to talk this thing out tonight. But, he could at least give them somewhere to sit in comfort and some coffee, he decided as they all glanced up at his approach.
"She ok?" questioned Nathaniel. Booth nodded, ignoring the green eyed monster at the other man's obvious concern over Brennan's welfare.
"She's asleep," he said quietly. "We need to talk," he added glancing at each of the soldiers who nodded their agreement.
"Come on," said Booth heading toward the steps leading toward the observation deck. They could talk in comfort and he could keep an eye on Brennan's office at the same time. The other four silently followed him, sighing in gratitude when he led them to a coffee pot and told them to help themselves. Within minutes, they were all seated much more comfortably, sipping steaming cups of coffee.
"Bones told me what Perez did to her," Booth began softly, noting that all four men's eyes dropped to the floor as if they couldn't face him because of their failure to protect her. He certainly knew that feeling of failure when it came to his wife. Hadn't she been shot right in front of him with him holding a gun on the suspect? He wanted to hate them, but he was a fair man and these men had spent the last three years watching Brennan's back, keeping her safe in his absence and he could only be grateful for that. He definitely still had issues with Nathaniel but him being responsible for the Perez situation wasn't one of them.
"It wasn't your fault," he told the four men quietly, noting the disbelieving looks they sent his way. "You all went in and saved her," he continued, astonished at himself offering the words of comfort. He could tell they were grateful for the effort but they still blamed themselves and nothing he could say was going to change that, it was just something they were going to have to figure out on their own.
"What kind of shape was she in when you got to her?" Booth leaned forward, knowing Brennan's tendency to gloss over her own emotions and responses, he needed to hear from the people who had been there how she had been affected by her treatment at the hands of Perez.
"Bad," Nathaniel almost whispered, turning away to gaze into space.
"The bastard left the dead bodies of the soldiers in her cell," whispered Gavin. Oh, God, thought Booth, shuddering in revulsion at the thought of her being forced to watch them die then being trapped in a small space with the bodies. What kind of sick freak did that? One who wouldn't be doing it much longer, he would make sure of that. Jaw clenched to hold back the howls of fury fighting to escape, he turned to the quieter twin, nodding to indicate he should go on.
"When Steven and I opened the door, we didn't even see her, at first. She was curled up against the wall, turned away from the bodies and we thought she was dead, too. Until Steven went to her. As soon as she heard his voice, she started crying." Gavin had to stop for a moment to get control of his fury and disgust at what had taken place in that compound. He had seen a lot of men die, but he had never seen anything as twisted as what had been done to those people.
"We got her moving and Nathaniel radioed that they had found only one soldier, but we knew the others were already dead. Red insisted there were children from the settlement that were unaccounted for and that we had to find them and take them with us. We all agreed," he added just to make sure Booth knew they would never have left children in the hands of monsters. Garrett took over the story for his brother.
"I found a cell with three little boys in it, but they were already dead. The youngest one couldn't have been more than three," the anguish in his voice was apparent to everyone.
"We finally located two young girls from the settlement who were alive, grabbed them and started back out. That's when the shit hit the fan," said Nathaniel harshly. "Rodrigo had decided to join the party and, it seems, he has a thing for young girls." Booth didn't have to ask what Nathaniel meant. He could easily tell the man was a pedophile by the words and the looks of disgust the men wore and there were few things Booth hated more than someone who preyed on children. He had already decided that this man wouldn't be walking away from threatening his wife and family, this information only cemented his resolve.
"We had already taken out all the guards on our way in, but Rodrigo was coming to visit the girls and saw us slipping out of the building they were being held in, sounding the alarm. The guards opened fire and one of my men was hit." He didn't share that Steven had deliberately stepped in front of a bullet aimed at Brennan, if she wanted Booth to know that, she would tell him herself. "He didn't make it." Booth was startled when Alex jumped from his seat and stalked away but none of the other three seemed surprised by his actions. "We got far enough away then we blew the hell out of that place," Nathaniel's voice held satisfaction at the destruction they had inflicted on that evil place. "Unfortunately, Perez and Rodrigo made it to escape tunnels but they were both badly wounded." Booth was glad they had destroyed the place where so many people had suffered so much, but his question hadn't really been answered.
"And how was Bones?" Of course, he knew she had been traumatized, but he could judge how traumatized she had been by her immediate reaction.
"She wouldn't let anyone except Alex and the girls near her for three days," Garrett said quietly. "She wouldn't eat or sleep." It had been bad, then. Really, really bad thought Booth recalling how this behavior mirrored the time when he was supposedly dead.
"She didn't say a word to anyone but Alex and she just kept telling him she was sorry." Gavin added. What? Why would she tell Alex she was sorry? What was he not getting here?
"Steven was my brother," Alex said quietly as if he could read Booth's mind, stepping from the shadows.
"I'm sorry," Booth told the other man levelly. There was really nothing else to say. "Tell me more about Rodrigo," he requested.
"He's a lowlife piece of shit," Alex hissed and the others added their agreements.
"Yeah," agreed Nathaniel, "but his family is very wealthy and his political power in his country is well established. When he became an operative for the CIA, it pretty much cemented him as untouchable."
"Nobody is untouchable," Booth argued. "How did he get mixed up with Perez? Is that what he was doing for the CIA?"
"That was his cover story, but the truth is that he's just another sick fuck who enjoys the same things Perez does. He likes watching people suffer and with Perez, he got plenty of that without risking his reputation as an upstanding citizen." Alex's loathing of the man was obvious. Booth knew the man had betrayed this team not once, but twice, costing them two of their own and doing his best to kill a woman they all would obviously die to protect. He was having a very hard time understanding why they hadn't just taken the man out with or without orders, then he remembered their promise to Brennan. Honorable men as they were, they would feel bound to uphold their vow until they were released from it. Well, he hadn't promised any such thing and they could either help him or get out of his way. Before he could tell them how it was going to be, Nathaniel brought it up.
"Booth, Red is right. If we take her out of here, Rodrigo will start killing people and he won't care how many go down. He's just that twisted and more than a little crazy. He thinks he is above the law, untouchable, and so far, he has been." Booth's eyes narrowed on the younger man.
"I sincerely hope you're not suggesting that I let her act as bait," he hissed in a deadly, quiet voice, only to sit back in astonishment as all four men broke into laughter. Well, hell, he was going to have to work on his threatening face if they thought it was funny.
"Let her?" gasped Alex, between laughs. "Surely you don't think you let her do anything?" Booth was almost offended, but when you were right, you were right and Alex was absolutely correct. Brennan did what she thought was right. She might listen to his input but she didn't need anyone's permission, not even his. He couldn't help the rueful grin that floated across his face, lightening the tense situation.
"No, Booth, I'm not suggesting that she agree to help General Hood," Nathaniel answered Booth's earlier charge, still grinning at the thought of someone telling Brennan what to do and her actually doing it, "But I am saying that we don't have much time to come up with an alternative because if she is determined to do this, you won't be able to stop her." Nathaniel's voice was calm, but he could tell Booth didn't like hearing what he was saying. Well, tough, they needed to work together to keep someone they all cared about safe and remove the threat permanently. That was all that mattered right now, they could settle any personal issues later, they didn't have time for that shit right now.
Booth knew Nathaniel was telling the truth, but that didn't mean he had to like hearing it. No, if Brennan was determined to help Hood, he wouldn't be able to stop her, leaving only one alternative. They had to take out Rodrigo before he could carry through on his threats. Lifting his head, Booth looked at each of Brennan's defenders in turn, his gaze finally settling on Nathaniel.
"We have to take him out before he has a chance to make a move on her," he said quietly, knowing what he was suggesting was way outside the bounds of the law and not really caring if that's what it took to keep the people he loved safe. Nathaniel's eyebrow lifted. He had already come to this conclusion, but was surprised that Booth was so ready to cross the line. From what Brennan had said about her partner, Nathaniel had gotten the impression that he would have to be dragged across the line, but, it appeared, he was just like the rest of them and would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe.
"I agree," Nathaniel offered quietly.
"Us, too," the other three answered in unison.
"Any ideas?" questioned Garrett to the room in general.
"A few," answered Booth, turning to Nathaniel. "What kind of equipment can you get your hands on?" Nathaniel's grin was the only answer Booth needed. He could lay his hands on whatever they needed. "Do you know how to find Rodrigo?" Nathaniel's grin grew even broader.
"As a matter of fact, we do. We tagged him this afternoon." Well, well, Booth was actually impressed.
"Now," Booth stood, stretching. "It's getting late and I need to get Bones home, so how about we meet back here in the morning?" Nathaniel stood but the others kept their seats, waiting for the show to begin. They knew Nathaniel would insist on protection and didn't think Booth would be pleased with the idea.
"That's fine," agreed Nathaniel, "I need to talk to my dad, anyway, but Red doesn't go anywhere without at least two of us." His voice was hard, his tone making it clear this point was non-negotiable, which lit the fuse on Booth's temper. Planting his hands on his hips, he glared at Nathaniel.
"I'm perfectly capable of protecting my wife, Pearson," he growled. Nathaniel wasn't trying to start a fight but he was immovable on this point so he gave logic a shot.
"I don't doubt that, Booth. But what if Rodrigo decides to move up his timetable and tries to snatch her tonight? That would actually be brilliant and he's not exactly a trustworthy individual, so we really can't take anything he said at face value. So, you tell me, is she going to be safer with one person watching her back or with three?" Damn, Booth hated to admit it but Nathaniel was right. He seriously doubted that Rodrigo's word could be trusted and if they took him out, Brennan would be defenseless. He wasn't happy about having houseguests but, considering the situation, it would be the prudent thing to do.
"Fine," he snapped, pointing to the twins, "they can come with us." He figured they were the least annoying two of the group.
"Trust me, you do not want to do that," advised Alex, not even trying to hide his grin. "They argue enough to make you want to shoot them yourself just to shut them up."
"I need Gavin, anyway," Nathaniel told the laughing man with a grin. "That leaves you with Garrett." Alex gave a resigned sigh, then a shrug. Booth was already on his way to collect Brennan from her office when Alex threatening Garrett stopped him in his tracks and he swung around in disbelief.
"I swear to God, Garrett, if you start in with your pranks tonight, I will shoot you where you stand," he growled. Suddenly, Booth didn't feel so safe with them watching his back, "And even Red won't be able to protect you," the threats continued. God, they sounded like a couple of five year olds. What the hell was he doing asking for their help? He'd be better off taking care of things on his own.
"Don't worry, Booth. They really are very good." Booth jumped as Brennan's voice reached him out of the shadows, her words making it clear she had overheard enough of their conversation to know what was going on. Stepping closer, she held out her hand. "Let's go home." He took her hand and she turned toward the stairs, raising her voice. "Alex, if he gets out of hand, I'll shoot him myself. Now, move it. I'm ready to go home." Booth could only laugh as the pair came charging down the stairs like good little soldiers. With a self-satisfied grin, Brennan turned toward the door, leading her troops out into the night.
Booth stirred, his hands reaching for Brennan, ready to pull her under him and put the aching hard on he had woken with to good use. His usual morning erection had been helped along by a very erotic dream he had been having about his wife and he was eager to turn those dreams into reality. Coming to full wakefulness when he realized her side of the bed was empty, he sat up in full panic mode, until he heard two voices talking quietly in the other room, easily identifying them as Brennan and Alex. Glancing at the clock, he groaned, seeing it was almost 5:30. Time to get up. Bad choice of words, he thought with a grimace, he already was up. Time to get out of bed. They were supposed to meet back at the lab at 0630. With a sigh, he slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom, wishing Brennan was in there with him as he entered and was hit with a face full of steam indicating she had already showered. Instantly surrounded by her scent, he felt his cock twitch and seriously considered dragging her away from her conversation with Alex to wash his back and other assorted body parts. With a sigh of resignation, he turned on the water and stepped into the shower.
The warm water flowing sinuously over his firm muscles certainly did nothing to relax him, making him think of warm hands and lips' flowing over all the places the water was touching, pebbling his nipples and making him so hard he hurt. Resignedly, he turned the water to cold and stood, shivering, under the downpour for several minutes until he realized only one thing was going to take care of his problem. Turning the water back over to warm, fervently wishing Brennan would wander into the bathroom and knowing that was unlikely, he reached down and closed his hand around his erection, stroking slowly from base to tip.
Closing his eyes, he braced one hand against the wall and allowed his mind to revisit the dream that had left him needing release so badly. Interestingly enough, he had been in the shower doing exactly this, when he felt her soft hands running up and down his back. Quickly removing his hand from his cock, he tried to turn toward her, but she held him in place by slipping her arms around his waist and grasping his erection in one hand, pumping up and down, while using her lips, teeth and tongue on every inch of skin she could reach. Moaning, Booth's eyes drifted closed, every stroke of her hand making him harder and hotter. He almost whimpered in dismay when she took her hand away, but the sound turned to a groan as she urged him to turn toward her.
Swinging around, he jerked her against him, taking her mouth with lips and tongue, pulling gasps and groans from her throat. His hand stroked faster, the water flowing over his body unsatisfactorily simulating her hands and lips, but the images in his head made up for what the water lacked, causing the knot of desire to curl even more tightly in his abdomen as his cock throbbed.
Tightening his hand fingers and speeding his strokes, he let his mind see her gracefully going down to her knees in front of him, looking up with those beautiful blue eyes dark with desire. Her tongue flicked out and licked him from base to tip along the nerve that made his gut clench when she licked it like that. Moaning, he stroked harder, faster as those sexy pink lips parted and she slid them down over his aching hardness, taking him deep. Pulling back and completely releasing him, she grinned at his whimper.
"Hold on, Baby," she ordered, grasping the base of his hard on in her hand, her lips sliding slowly back down until he could feel his tip bumping the back of her throat. Then she was done with slow, her head moving rapidly back and forth, and, God, she had a magic mouth, using her teeth, lips and tongue to stimulate him beyond anything he'd ever known with anyone else. Panting, his strokes hard and fast, he teetered on the edge, the images in his head so strong and eliciting so much pleasure he almost didn't want it to end. But his orgasm erupted without his permission, dragging a long, low groan of completion from his lips and leaving him leaning weakly against the wall, trying to catch his breath.
Forty-five minutes later, he quietly left the bedroom, dressed except for the jacket he carried over his arm. Brennan and Alex were so deep in conversation they didn't hear him approach, actually Brennan didn't hear him. Alex knew the instant he stepped out of the bedroom, he just ignored his approach because he was trying to make a point with Brennan.
"They want to see you, Red. They miss you." Brennan looked away, the look of sadness on her face making Booth's heart ache for her.
"How can they want to see me, Alex? After what I did, how could they even stand to be in the same room with me? How can you even stand to look at me, Alex? I killed your brother." Her voice was filled with guilt and anguish and Booth wanted nothing more than to go to her, to offer comfort, but his gut told him that would be the wrong thing to do right now, so he waited. With a patient sigh, Alex reached out and pressed both of her hands between his.
"It wasn't your fault, Red. They know that and they love you, just like the rest of us. You're the only one who blames you for Steven's death. I never did and Sara and Nicole certainly don't, but they do miss you," he assured her softly. Patting her hand, he continued, "Sara told me you set up a trust fund for Nicole and paid their house off." He ignored Brennan's sputtered denials. "Come on, Red. She is a very smart woman and just because you did it anonymously doesn't mean she couldn't figure it out." Brennan dropped her eyes, peeking at him through her lashes and Booth wanted to laugh. She looked like a little girl trying to figure out how much trouble she was in.
"Was she mad?" she almost whispered.
"Livid," answered Alex cheerfully, "but mostly because you wouldn't even take her calls. She got over it," he assured her with a shrug, "but you should at least give her the chance to thank you." Brennan started to shake her head stubbornly, but Alex reached out and caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him.
"Red, my brother was a soldier, just like me. He chose that life knowing the dangers and he chose to step in front of a bullet that day because that's the kind of man he was. He would have taken a bullet for a stranger, much less one of us, especially you and I really hate to say this to you, Red, but it's time someone did." He wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked her levelly in the eyes, the gesture so brotherly that Booth didn't feel even a twinge of jealousy. "You dishonor his memory by blaming yourself and refusing to acknowledge that he acted with honor and courage doing what he thought was the right thing." Hearing Brennan's gasp, Booth winced in sympathy, but he didn't interfere, maybe Alex could get through that guilt that was eating her up. She jerked her head backward, but Alex refused to let her go, not hurting her but not letting her run away, either. It was time to put a stop to this.
"He would hate that you won't even talk to his wife and daughter. You knew him almost as well as I did, Red. What do you think he would say if he could see you right now?" To Booth's complete astonishment, a muffled laugh came out of Brennan's mouth and she tried to imitate a husky, male voice.
"For God's sake, Red, can the damn water works. You know I can't stand to see a woman cry. Now get off your ass, use the brain God gave you and figure out how to take care of Rodrigo and Perez without getting yourself killed." She was giggling as she finished and Alex was smiling broadly, letting go of her chin and patting her hand approvingly.
"Sounds just like him," Booth spun around to see a smiling Garrett standing behind him. Damn, the kid was quiet. Granted, he had been listening intently to Alex and Brennan but the kid hadn't made a sound to alert him to his approach.
"What?" he demanded.
"She sounds just like Steven," he indicated Brennan with a pointing finger, "words, tone, everything. You should hear her imitate Nathaniel's father. It's hilarious." Booth stared at the young man in befuddlement. The Temperence Brennan he knew did not imitate people, especially for fun. Briefly wondering if had awoken in an alternate reality, he tuned back in to Brennan to hear her giving in to Alex's nagging.
"Fine, Alex. When this is over, I'll call Sara." She promised.
"Good," he answered placidly, giving her hand a final pat before turning to wish Booth and Garrett a good morning. Flushing a little, Brennan turned to also wish the other two a good morning, her eyes passing briefly over Garrett, to focus on Booth.
"There's coffee in the kitchen," she told the two, who both gratefully headed in that direction. Brennan followed them into the kitchen and Garrett grabbed a cup of coffee, quickly clearing out to give the couple some privacy.
"Hi," said Brennan invading his personal space.
"Hi," he returned with a grin, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "I missed you when I woke up," he told her leaning down to nip at her lower lip, taking full advantage and slipping his tongue past her lips when they parted on a gasp. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she molded her body to his, returning the kiss passionately. When the need for oxygen became paramount, they reluctantly separated, each longingly thinking of calling in sick, crawling back into bed and spending the day making love. Unfortunately, they had psychotic killers to thwart so that just wasn't possible this morning. With one last kiss and a huge sigh of regret, Booth turned her toward the kitchen doorway, reminding her to take the video and photos of the wedding. Brennan gasped and hurried off to grab them, grateful for the reminder. She physically shuddered to think of Angela's reaction if she failed to produce the promised items this morning.
Forty minutes later, having picked up breakfast on the way, they entered the lab, Booth biting his lip to stifle laughter as he listened to Brennan lecture the two soldiers on proper deportment in the lab.
"I mean it, Garrett," she told the young man sternly, "if you pull even one prank in this lab, you will answer to me."
"Ok, ok," he held his hands up in surrender, "I'll behave." Then she turned to Alex.
"Come on, Red," he whined before she could open her mouth.
"No, Alex," her voice was even sterner than it had been with Garrett. Booth had no idea what she was warning Alex not to do, but Garrett was laughing almost hysterically, so it must be good.
"Not even Angela?" Alex pleaded and Brennan's eyes widened in horror.
"Especially not Angela," she snapped, not seeing the teasing light in the man's eyes, "I mean it, Alex. Angela, my grad students, my interns, they're all off limits." She assured him.
"What about Cam? She's very pretty." Alex couldn't resist riling her up. It was just so much fun. Booth caught on and couldn't contain his laughter at Brennan warning Alex not to seduce the people in the lab. Brennan gasped at Alex's question, but turned on Booth.
"Don't encourage him, Booth. You don't know what he's like." She informed her husband. Turning back to Alex, she gritted out, "No one, Alex, everyone is off limits." Then she turned and marched toward her office, obviously very put out with the three men staring after her in admiration.
"Too bad she doesn't have a sister," sighed Alex, only half jokingly. Booth snorted. He wasn't sure the world could handle another one like his Bones.