Chapter 21 – No Charges

Agent Booth had only just arrived at Highland Heights General when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen and saw that it was the house. He opened the cell phone and answered.

"Tempe, what's wrong?" Booth asked. There was no immediate answer, but the sound of a child crying and sniffling. Finally, Parker's voice came across the line.

"Daddy," Parker said. "Something's wrong."

"What happened, buddy?" Booth asked, a sense of dread overcoming his whole body.

"Bren made me take Eliza and Max into the bathroom because she heard something. I heard her yelling and then there were gunshots. She told me to stay in the bathroom until you or she came and got us," Parker said. Booth's stomach clenched. Something had happened to Temperance; Freeman was at the house, with his children.

"Alright, Parker, do you remember Agent Perotta?" Booth asked his son.

"Yes," Parker replied.

"I'm going to send her over to the house. You do whatever she says when she gets there. She'll give you a code word, so you'll know it's okay, alright, buddy? You just stay in the bathroom until she gets there." Booth pressed the end button and then dialed Agent Perotta's number.

"Payton, I need a favor."

Ziva was making pancakes for Anthony and Lila when Agent's Perotta's phone rang. She answered it and a few minutes later, she closed it and whispered something in Agent Sullivan's ear and then left. Ziva watched Agent Sullivan from the corner of her eye as she put the pancakes on a plate and set one in front of Lila and set the other at Anthony's chair.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked casually, turning back to the stove.

"Nothing of your concern," Agent Sullivan said. "Director Booth needed Agent Perotta elsewhere."

"Is Temperance alright?" Ziva asked.

"I'm sure she and the children are just fine," Agent Sullivan said. Ziva smiled to herself. She had gotten him to inadvertently admit that something was wrong at the Booth household. Just then Anthony walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Ziva turned to him and sent him a look. He got back up out of his chair and walked over to her. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair, so she could speak quietly.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Something's wrong with Temperance and the kids. Booth just called Agent Perotta and she left in a hurry," Ziva whispered back as she cooked herself pancakes. Anthony squeezed Ziva' side gently.

"I'm sure Temperance and the kids are fine," Anthony said, and he placed a kiss on the top of her head and returned to his chair.

Special Agent Payton Perotta approached the house with her gun drawn. Booth had told her that he didn't know what had happened inside and that she should be cautious. The front door was hanging open, and she was surprised that the neighbors hadn't called the police upon hearing the gunshots. She carefully stepped inside the door and trained her gun around. No one was there, so she proceeded to go down the hallway. She could see the open bedroom door, and the puddle of blood seeping out into the hallway. Payton slowly peered around the door. She saw Agent Freeman in a heap, just inside, and then on the floor at the foot of the bed was Temperance. Payton holstered her gun and ran over to Temperance's lifeless form on the floor. The only injury that she could see was a small head graze that was bleeding slightly. She knew that that must have been what caused Temperance to fall unconscious. She knew how painful a head graze could be. Payton pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

After Payton had called 911, she walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.

"Parker, it's Agent Perotta," she said. "Can you let me in?"

"What did Daddy tell you?" Parker replied.

"That the most beautiful thing in the world is a perfect spiral," Payton said. She waited, and finally heard the sound of a lock click, and then the doorknob began to turn. Parker poked his head out. She opened the door the rest of the way and walked into the bathroom. Parker had placed Max and Eliza in the tub and Eliza was currently holding Max. Payton picked Max up out of the tub and grabbed Eliza's hand.

"Kids, I want you to listen to me very closely. I'm going to lead you out of the room. I want you to shut your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you too, alright?" Both Eliza and Parker nodded and then squeezed their eyes shut. Payton led them through the bedroom and noted that Temperance was beginning to come around. She hurried the kids out to the family room and sat them down on the couch.

"Don't go anywhere, alright?" Payton said and they nodded. She rushed back to the bedroom and found Temperance sitting up and holding a hand to her head.

"What happened?" Temperance asked.

"Well, from the looks of things, I'd say you shot the traitor," Payton said as she helped Temperance said. "I called an ambulance."

"I'm fine," Temperance said, waving Payton's help away.

"Dr. Brennan, you need to get your head looked at, at least. Besides, I don't think the children would respond very well to seeing their mother's face covered in blood," Payton argued. Temperance considered this for a moment, and rational thought led her to believe that Payton was right. She sat down on the edge of the bed wearily.

"Take them to Ziva's please," Temperance said. Payton nodded.

"As soon as you get in the ambulance."

Ziva sat down in front of her computer and started the connection to Ari's webcam. Agent Sullivan had just told them that Agent Perotta was bringing over Temperance's children until she was done at the hospital. Ziva was going to talk to Ari before they got there and things would be too busy. She watched the black box, wait for Ari to accept. Several minutes later the screen wavered and Ari appeared.

"Shalom, Ari," Ziva said, speaking in Hebrew.

"Shalom, Ziva, slih'a," Ari said.

"What are you sorry for?" Ziva asked, still speaking in Hebrew. She didn't want Agent Sullivan knowing what she was saying.

"I lost Vance, he and his entire crew have left and I can't trace them," Ari said. Frustration settled into Ziva. She knew it wasn't her brother's fault that Vance had disappeared, but she felt like she wanted to be angry.

"Just come home."

So, I just finished writing chapter 23 and you're not going to like it at all. You're gonna hate me, actually, but more about that later. Please review. And I'm sorry for the long wait. there was this little imp named writer's block living inside my head and he wouldn't let me work, but I bashed him and he's gone now. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!!