CHAPTER 10 - Cops & Robbers

When Brennan hung up the phone, she looked up to Frank. The moment he saw the look on her face, he knew what she would say.

"Time to move." She nodded. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" she asked. Silence settled in as Frank seemed to ask himself that very question.

"Yes," he finally responded. He looked back to the door, then again to Brennan. "Can you really do this? How are you going to make this work and not get caught in the middle?"

"We'll find a way. I promise we'll do our best to get eveyone out... and catch your father's killer." That seemed to help.

"Thank you. I'm sorry it had to be like..."

"I know," she nodded.

"Okay..." he breathed out. "I better go out there," he scratched at the back of his neck. "Here..." he returned her phone. "Won't need it anymore." He left, closing the door and in effect giving the greenlight on the plan.

After a moment, Brennan put the phone in her pocket and went to get the walkie-talkie.

"Angela, it's time."

"Now? What happened?"

"Zack woke up. He IDed the killer. It's the brown-haired one." Up to then, they only knew Frank and Danielle's names. The other two were the "brown-haired" and "blonde-haired" ones.

"Okay, so what do we do?"

"You do your part, get it in position and then you hide."

"Wait, wait, you're not seriously going out there on your own."

"You already got hurt once, I won't make it worse. Just count off ten minutes, and then you do it."

x

Outside, it was taking on the look that was to be expected - they were about to move in... so not many people moved. This plan, if it was to work, required for those inside who weren't in on it not to find out. For all they knew, they were listening for media reports, or had people on the outside feeding them information. So the news crews could know nothing of it. It was all about taking steps quietly.

As Agent Drake worked to secure transportation, Dory rejoined Hodgins and Booth, handing them the bag. "If you lose your job over this, I'll see about getting you something here." Hodgins gave her a part on the arm.

"Good to know," she nodded before heading off.

"Go," Booth told Hodgins.

"I'll get it done," he nodded and went. Booth looked at his watch. In eight minutes, Brennan and Angela would be making their move. In ten minutes, Booth and his team would go right through those doors. There was no margin for error, so he just hoped Hodgins knew what he was doing.

Goodman snaked through the still gathered crowd of Jeffersonian employees, looking for two in particular, security guards he was familiar with. When he found them, he hurried.

"Miss Saldana, Mr. Hoyt, I need to speak with you. They nodded and followed him to the side. Carefully, he explained what he needed them to do. Without question, they nodded.

At the same time, Booth was tracking down Agents Samuels and Hammer, giving them instructions of their own. When he was done, he looked up, finding Goodman's eyes. Goodman nodded, Booth did as well, watching as the four guards and agents walked off to meet with Agent Drake.

On the side of the building, Hodgins felt like some secret spy as he moved to find what he was looking for. He went through a door and down a hall. When he arrived, he put the bag down and crouched down. He looked at his watch - six minutes. Hopefully, this wouldn't be too hard. He got to work, reading Dory's careful instructions.

He thought for sure his hands would shake, that he'd be so paralyzed with the weight of what he had to do that he'd somehow lose his ability to work this. But he didn't, he altered the ventilation. And Angela was the key. He never understood just how powerful a thing like love could be, not as much as he did over the course of that day.

Sitting there on his knees, working against such a fast ticking clock, his power came with images that ran through his mind. Not pictures of the past they'd had so far, but of a future they could and would have. He imagined just how happy she had made him, and how happy she would continue to make him. It was certain he had never felt this way.

When his hands finally stopped moving again, seeing that he'd done it, he got out. He reached for his phone and dialed up Booth. He answered right away.

"Yeah?"

"We're set," he checked his watch again - one minute.

"Good work, Hodgins."

X

Inside, Brennan, Angela… They couldn't depend on constant action to keep them and their minds busy. Until the time came, there was really nothing they could do except wait. They could go over the steps until they knew them forward and backward, but it wasn't necessary and would only serve to make them more nervous.

Angela, for her part, just talked to Brennan like it was any other day. She knew what her friend had set off to do, and she couldn't imagine she was as breezy about it as she was letting on.

"You don't think I'll get a bald patch, do you? A nasty scar?"

"On your head?" Brennan couldn't help smiling. "I don't think so."

"Good to know," Angela nodded. "No matter what I like to do, that just would not work out for me."

"Right," Brennan nodded with a smile still. She looked at the clock and her resolve face came on. "It's time…"

"See you on the outside," Angela heard Brennan's walkie-talkie click 'off'. It took a moment before she heard something else, something that made her blood run cold.

Static… Someone was listening in.

Her finger fidgeted to turn off her walkie-talkie, tossing it under her bloody lab coat with a gasp. How much had they heard? What were they going to do? Brennan wouldn't know someone was on to her.

X

Back in her room, Brennan put away her walkie-talkie, opening another drawer to find the bottle she'd hidden there a few hours earlier. Bringing a chair to sit under the air vent, she climbed on it. She'd know soon enough if Hodgins had done his job. Pulling back the grate, she opened the bottle and gently deposited it before putting the grate back.

After climbing down from the chair, Brennan took a breath. It was just a moment, a final push, but she needed it. And in that instant, she had just a hint of doubt. All this time, she'd been telling Angela she had no problem with it at all. Now she was alone and on the verge of going in… and the reality was hitting like a ton of bricks. What if she did it wrong? Someone would get killed…

Brennan knocked on the door. Danielle answered.

"What?"

"I need to talk to Frank. Right now."

"Since when do you give orders?"

"Danielle…" The two women looked up as Frank spoke up. Danielle rolled her eyes and moved aside. Brennan moved past her as Frank took a couple of steps.

"What do you want now?" Frank returned to his earlier tone.

"I want you to let us go," she spoke, serious. Frank chuckled, looking to the others as he walked up closer.

"Sorry, that's not how it works."

"Look, you're not going to get anywhere by keeping us here for however long you think this can go on. You're only making things worse for everyone."

"How do you figure? It's just as much hostage taking, whether it's… ten hours or ten days…" He paused, shaking his head. "Not that this is any of your business."

Out of the corner of her eye, Brennan saw something that threw her. She knew that Danielle was somewhere near, but the other two were giving each other these looks like they knew… something more was going on. Knowing Booth would be coming in within a minute. She turned back to Frank, trying to convey the urgency to him without overdoing it.

"I don't care."

"Too bad," Frank told her, turning away. Brennan looked up again and blinked to see them going toward Angela's door. Hoping it would serve to stop them, she got back on track, grabbing Frank's gun from behind him and pointing it up at him, cocking it.

"You sure about that?"

Frank stopped, turned back to her. Brennan knew in that instant that she wouldn't have time to hide. Not that there was any danger from what they were doing, but it would take the control from her, and that wasn't so pleasant. In fact it scared her a little. She wasn't going to let it show.

"Bad move," Frank told her, holding a hand back toward the others, to keep them from shooting. As it turned out though, they didn't seem to care, in fact they just turned back to Angela's door.

"If you say so," Brennan told Frank.

"Good luck getting out alive," he told her. Those were the magic words, both were aware of what she had to do now, and still she hesitated for a second.

But then she saw them open the door. So she looked back to Frank, took aim, and she pulled the trigger.

"No!" Danielle shouted. But then a moment later, she stumbled and fell, losing consciousness.

It was happening. Frank, on the ground, went from breathing deep, holding at the wound, to being out cold as well. She felt it come, fast as they'd hoped, just as she could hear the echo of Jim's voice toward Angela.

"What are you doing up there?"

But then she was down, unconscious. She didn't know if they got to Angela before they fell. She didn't know if she'd managed to stop herself breathing it in… All she knew was the dark, taking her over like an all-powerful being.

X

Out front, Booth looked to his watch - it was time. No more hiding.

"Drake! Get the vans, get the ambulance. Hodgins! Hit the vents. Everyone," he turned to the others. "Masks on, you have your assignments. Let's go."

The doors were opened, and into the Jeffersonian they went in full FBI glory. His heart beat with such anxiety, he almost couldn't move fast enough, even though they had to follow procedure. If not for the big wigs at the bureau's sake, then for Brennan's sake, and Angela's, and - to some level - for Frank's.

When they broke through to the middle, the scene was something utterly unforgettable, in the sense that the image of it all would never be able to leave his brain… and the other agents as well, he figured.

Everyone lay there on the ground, looking so… at peace and in anguish at the same time. Among them, he gasped to find Brennan, lying there with the gun still in her hand. He hurried to her side, removing the object from within her hand, dropping it to the ground. Wordlessly, he picked her up and ran toward the exit.

When they got out, he ignored the applause from the people gathered nearby, to get her breathing fresh air. He saw one of the paramedics run over, so he lowered himself to the ground, so she could lie on it, though he still kept her in his arms. He had her back, he wasn't letting go.

"Is she okay?" Booth asked the paramedic.

"She should be, just…" Before he could finish, Brennan got to coughing. "Well there you go…" Booth smiled in relief. "She needs to go to the hospital, to be on the safe side."

"Got it," he spoke absently, lost in her eyes as they finally opened. When her hazy gaze found him, he smiled. "Welcome back."

"Hi…" she seemed just as relieved to see him as he'd been to see her. "Angela?"

Booth looked up, noticing for the first time the progression of the rest of the situation. Everyone was moving quickly along. They knew the stakes, which Booth and the others had made sure of. Frank, Danielle, Ethan, and Jim were wheeled by, one by one. Ethan was put in one van, Jim was placed in another. Danielle was taken to the third van, while Frank was placed in an ambulance.

Angela was already on her feet - although shakily - as one of the agents escorted her out. In a moment, Hodgins had hurried over, taking over for the agent, looking her over before placing his arms around her, kissing the side of her head before helping her to a paramedic.

"Yeah, she's okay. You all made it."

"Okay," she nodded groggily.

Booth picked her back up, helping her toward an ambulance. Goodman joined them, falling in step with them. "How are we doing?" Booth asked.

"I'll be staying behind to help oversee whatever they have to do inside. They're sweeping the rooms to find the supposed bomb."

"Let me know how that goes," Booth nodded before they got in the ambulance and took off.

Through the ride, Booth looked over Brennan. She was quietly recovering from the exposure that had led to her loss of consciousness. At the same time he could see the whole day sway through her eyes like a lulled frenzy. The hurry was finally over, and now it was all falling over her. Booth gave her hand a squeeze. She turned her head to look at him.

"You'll be okay," was all he could say. "By the way… Hodgins and Goodman know about…" She nodded. "Your brother too…" She blinked. "Yeah, he helped. You'll be proud." That got a smile out of her, which got one from him.

"Is Zack okay?"

"Last I heard, he was sleeping it off. You guys got him out okay."

"Yeah…"

"Starting to feel better?" She nodded.

"Thank you… Stayed out."

"Hey, I have been known to do what I'm told on occasions. And it looks like you did right. We got our guy… record time. Frank should be pleased."

"Frank…" she asked.

"Riding with Drake," he simply replied. "For now, just relax, alright?"

"Okay," she closed her eyes.

He pushed her hair off her face slowly. Now that her eyes were closed, he let go of the tension. She had enough on her mind without seeing anguish in his eyes. She was here now, she was safe now… And all he could think about was how it had been such a normal, beautiful morning, and now…

He knew the kind of lives they led, they both did. Danger was something that would remain a possibility. It was filled with such denial… No matter what could happen, they could trick their minds into believing it wouldn't come so long as they didn't have to deal with it. Booth had quickly found that having her with him in his life this way made it that much easier. At the same time, the threat of that danger became that much more terrifying. He felt like he'd been holding his breath all day.

He remembered the talks they'd had, about the risks. They'd wonder about what they could end up putting each other through, though they weren't too good at putting it in the right words.

But then deep down, they knew the worries were not something they should allow to lead their lives around. They'd sit back and think of what they had, and they knew they had it pretty good. They both had their issues, their baggage from past relationships… It all changed with them.

They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. By that point, Brennan was fully awake and aware. She stayed quiet though, and Booth could see it in her eyes - she just needed to see Angela, see Zack…

When they pulled up to the hospital, Booth could see Russ waiting on them. Booth put his hand on Brennan's arm so she'd look up. As soon as the doors opened, Booth helped Brennan down to her brother's arms, nodding to the paramedics.

"Are you okay?" Russ asked his sister.

"Yeah…" she promised as they went off to have her checked out.

"I'll be right there," Booth called to them.

Booth went to the nurses' station, asking where Angela was off to. He was told and he went to find her. When he did, she and Hodgins were talking while a doctor checked her over, checked her head.

"No pushing, we'll take it slow," Angela was saying. Hodgins was smiling.

"I can do that," he nodded.

"Okay." He paused. "So we'll give it a shot."

"If it doesn't work, I'll move you back out myself," he held his hands up.

Booth knocked at the door lightly. Hodgins and Angela looked up. "Hey, Angela."

"Booth… You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now."

"The feeling's mutual," Booth nodded.

"Is Brennan okay?"

"She's fine. She was asking about you, and Zack…"

"Zack…" she sat up. "Can we go see him?"

When the examination was done, with a clean bill of health, they went out in the hall, Brennan and Angela meeting up. They hugged, the relief in them was so strong, it was impossible to find the words to describe it.

Together, they went toward Zack's room. When they arrived, they saw he was awake, staring up at the television. As he saw the others coming in though, he turned his attention to them.

"Dr. Brennan, Angela…" They went up to him, smiling and taking hold of his hands.

"We're so glad to see you're okay, you really scared us for a while," Angela told him, trying not to cry again.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It's a long story, but you know… We couldn't have done it without you," Brennan nodded.

"N-no, I mean… they just said it on the news, they said… Frank died…"

TBC