She's loading her car full of groceries. Finally she finishes and slams the trunk. She pushes the cart to it's resting place and heads back to her car. As she stands in front of her door she gets the sensation that someone is looking at her. She turns around and finds a tall muscular woman looking at her.
"Excuse me miss I think that you dropped something."
Temperance rolls her eyes and groans inwardly. She carefully lowers herself into a squatting position and looks around the car. Suddenly she feels something hard against the back of her head.
"Get up get in my car and don't make a noise, and you won't get hurt."
Temperance gets up and turns the other direction. She reaches the vehicle and climbs in. As the woman climbs into the driver's seat Temperance buckles and tries to pull her phone out of her pocket.
"What are you doing?"
"I..."
The woman hits her on the zygomatic with the butt of her pistol. Temperance hears her phone crunch under the tires. Suddenly every thing is fuzzy, and her head is throbbing. She holds her head in her hands. As they pull out of the parking lot Temperance sits up and watches the road. She carefully studies every turn, every stop, and the speed. Nearly an hour and a half later they arrive at a cabin miles from the nearest hint of civilization. They stop.
"Get out!" the woman demands.
Temperance complies. The woman walks behind her. They enter the cabin. Temperance studies it carefully.
"Sit!" the woman tells her when she reaches the kitchen table.
Temperance listens carefully.
A man asks from the next room, "Did you get the milk?"
"No."
"Watch the boys, and I'll go get it."
Temperance makes a mental note. The man walks past her and gets into a green truck. The woman returns to the kitchen with a pair of shiny silver handcuffs. She grabs Temperance's hand from the surface of the table. She cuffs it, and allows it to drop. She attaches the other part to the rung of the chair. She calmly sits down next to her.
"When are you due?"
"April 22nd."
"Boy or girl?"
"Girl."
"Good. Are you hungry?"
She shakes her head.
"Thirsty?"
She shakes her head again.
"If you need anything just let me know," the woman tells her as she wonders into the other room.
Temperance listens carefully. She hears the T.V. She deduces that it's a cartoon of some sort. She hears a child laughing. She listens to the woman.
"Alex be careful with those blocks they're going to fall over."
Temperance hears something hard hit something else.
"Benjamin, don't throw blocks," the woman warns.
Temperance makes more mental notes.
"Boy's it's time for your nap."
The woman walks through the kitchen with a blonde boy on her hip, and a boy with dark hair at her side. She walks them into a room. After a few minutes she comes out, and returns to the other room.
Temperance sees the shiny car-keys sitting on the counter. She begins to formulate a plan. She tries to get out of the handcuffs. She realizes that there is a bobby pin in her pocket that she had picked up off the floor of her car earlier. She pulls it out. She uses her left arm to pick at the lock. Finally her hand comes free. Calculating that it has been nearly fifteen minutes since the man left she quickly swipes the car keys off the counter. She rolls up her pant leg and unstraps the velcro strap around it. She hears footsteps from what she assumes to be the living room. She quickly reseats herself. The woman stops in front of her.
"Were you just over at the counter?" she questions.
Temperance says nothing. She cocks the gun, and holds it under the table aiming it carefully.
"Where is you hand?" she questions noticing that it is no longer attached to the chair.
"Get up," the woman orders.
Temperance doesn't flinch. "I said get up," she places one hand around Temperance's windpipe. Temperance struggles for air as the woman brings her to her feet. She doesn't hesitate. She shoots her in the chest, on the right side. The woman falls to the ground and gasps for air. Temperance puts the gun in the pocket of her jacket. She wonders to the room where the two boys are. She carefully grabs one out the crib. The other wakes up and looks at her.
"I need you to come with me."
"Why?" he questions innocently.
"We're going to go get some ice cream," she lies.
The boy stands up in his bed. She struggles to carry them both to the car. She secures them in carseats hastily, and rushes to the driver's seat. The car turns over, and she backs out of the drive. She lays the gun in the passenger's side seat. She flies down the hill. Half an hour later she passes a green truck going the other way. She guns it, and flies past him, hoping that he hadn't seen her. Fifteen minutes later she reaches the police department. She doesn't see Seeley's car in the parking lot. Jeff spots her from his squad car, and wonders up to her. He knocks on her window.
"What are you doing? Whose car is this?" he asks.
"I..."
"What happened to your cheek?"
She takes a deep breath and begins to answer.
"Booth just called and said that you didn't make it home. Where have you been?"
"I was at the grocery store and..."
"Temperance!" Seeley's voice captures her attention.
He runs to the car.
"Where have you been?"
"I found them..."
"Who?"
"I was in the parking lot at the grocery store, and..."
"Your car is still there what happened?"
"The woman she..."
"You found her?"
"Yes, and..."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"What did you find? Where did she take you?"
"There were two boys and..."
"How did you get back here?"
"I took her car. I shot her..."
"So..."
"But her husband, or whoever he was on the way back I passed him. He'll..."
"What about the boys?"
"They're in the backseat," she answers.
"Jeff call everyone. Temperance take those kids into Chip he'll watch them. I need you to show me."
"Ok." she agrees.
The rest of that night was a total blur. Everything happened so fast that Temperance's head begins to spin.