New story for Brennan 21

"Okay Dr. Sweets how were you and Booth able to accomplish this? I know that normally it would be illegal and people would have ended up losing their jobs. So what I am thinking is that Booth went to Warden Sanchez and called in a favor. Yes or no?" Brennan asked after everyone had returned to the FBI building and settled in, in one of the conference rooms.

"Yes you're correct Booth did call in one of his markers. Of course everyone involved had to be informed and they had to agree to everything. Fortunately or should I say unfortunately the warden found enough guards that knew a woman that had been raped and beaten. Of course Ortiz will want to be quiet about it because he won't want anyone to know that a woman beat him without any male assistance."

One of the other women raised her hand and cleared her throat when no one else spoke up. Since Dr. Sweets was the organizer of this event he acknowledged the woman's request to speak.

"Yes Ms. Price."

"Dr. Sweets explained to everyone what happened to you. We understand that you were outnumbered by the men in the gang that raped and beat you. Our Doctors and the police have told us that there is no way that you could have possibly won against all of those men. The rest of us have talked about it already and we have two question to ask you." Ms. Price hesitated.

"Go ahead Ms. Price." Sweets encouraged her to continue.

"We would just like to know how it felt to beat the bastard and where can we go to learn to fight like you did?"

Brennan started laughing so hard that it took her a few minutes to catch her breath.

"It felt good but I did find out something about myself after I beat him at his own game. When Special Agent Booth told me to stop I didn't. His voice just didn't register in my brain because my mind was so wrapped up in getting back at Ortiz for all that he had done to me. When I was finally able to start calming down and get control of myself I was able to hear the rest of you women. It suddenly occurred to me, as I looked up at all of you, I had lost control of my actions for the first time in my life."

They were all surprised to see Dr. Brennan go from laughing to crying. First one tear slowly found its way down her cheek then another and another. Angela had been sitting next to her so she reached over and put her arm around Brennan's shoulders.

"Why are you crying Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked.

It took her awhile, but when she was finally able to look up without any tears she looked at Sweets. "I lost control of my actions and I've never done that before."

"Yes you have Dr. Brennan and although I wasn't there when it happened I know, without a doubt that it did happen." Dr. Sweets said.

"Dr. Sweets I have never lost control of my actions or for that matter my thoughts." Dr. Brennan said as she sat up straight and raised her voice.

"What about the first time you had sex? How old were you when you had sex for the first time." Sweets asked.

"That is none of your business and besides I knew exactly what I was doing and I had control of the whole situation." Brennan answered with a frown.

Sweets sat back in his chair and crossed his arms then raised his left hand to the side of his cheek and just stared at Dr. Brennan. The longer he stared at her the more she refused to look at him.

She broke. "Okay, your right I did lose control of that first time." She looked at Sweets and became even angrier with him when she saw the big smile on his face. "Booth must have told you because I know that I never did."

Sweets didn't say anything. He just continued to smile and finally shrugged his shoulders and leaned forward once again. "It's alright Dr. Brennan everyone loses control at that time. No matter how much we think about that first time and what we are going to do we always lose control and those pheromones and hormones take over and our brains fall out."

"I know that mine fell out and I could swear I could hear something fall on the floor." Angela said as she laughed at the memory. Everyone else started laughing also, all except for one woman. When everyone stopped laughing they heard a small, timid voice speak up.

"I've never had sex, that I chose that is, so I don't know what you are talking about." Everyone looked at the woman that was introduced as Pamela Coats. When she saw everyone looking at her she added "It was a choice. I haven't met the man that I want to live the rest of my life with yet." They saw her psychiatrist put his hand on her shoulder. They knew that he was explaining things to her.

Sweets lost his smile and continued. "You also think you lost control of the situation when Mr. Nigel died also."

Dr. Brennan and Angela were quiet when Sweets brought back the memory of Mr. Nigel and the day he died. "That wasn't her fault though." Angela spoke up for her friend.

"No it wasn't but Dr. Brennan believes it is because she didn't have better control of her environment. She believes that she should have been in Mr. Nigel's place. She believes that she should have answered Booth's phone."

Everyone was quiet. Brennan never looked up at Sweets or Angela. When Angela saw that Brennan wasn't acknowledging what Sweets had said she knew that he was right. She quickly reached over to Brennan and grabbed her shoulders.

"That wasn't your fault Sweetie. You could not have prevented Mr. Nigel's death any more than you could prevent the sun from coming up in the morning. Believe it or not Temperance but you cannot control the world and what happens in it every moment of every day. What happened to us and all of these other women in here was not our fault. For once in your life, since you met Booth, you took someone else's advice and did what you could to keep us safe." Angela stood up and looked at all of the women in the group and said, "All we can do is like Dr. Brennan has, learn how to protect ourselves with some kind of martial arts so that when it is a one on one then we will know that we have done all we can do to win. Ladies we have got to stop letting these rapists continue to control us because as long as we think about what happened to us we will be giving them what they want." Angela sat back down and put her arm around her friend again.

After a few minutes of silence Brennan stood up and looked at Sweets. "I think I would like to go home now and think about what you said. I believe though that you and Angela are correct. Do you think that you could take me home now or do you want to stay here a little longer in which case I will call a taxi."

Sweets stood up and gathered his things. "I'll be happy to take you home Dr. Brennan. Do you want to go also Angela?" In answer Angela grabbed her purse and stood up to follow them out the door.

Thirty minutes later Brennan and Angela were at her apartment door and unlocking the door. Brennan could hear Booth coming to the door and pulled it open before she could do so herself. He looked at her and saw that her eyes were red from crying. Brennan didn't make a move toward him so he backed up and let the two women come in then closed the door.

Brennan walked to her bedroom and closed the door while Angela put her purse on the couch and went for a drink at the cabinet that held all of the alcohol and poured herself a glass of Royal Crown. She went to the couch and sat down by Jack who had just come in. Booth came over to her and sat on the coffee table across from her.

"How did it go?"

Angela took a drink before answering Booth. "I think that it went pretty good. I didn't know it but apparently Sweets did, that Brennan has been blaming herself for the death of Nigel. According to Sweets Brennan always tries to control her environment and feels she lost control when Nigel died and when we were kidnapped and raped. Of course I know how silly that is so I told her and the rest of the women that all we can do is learn how to defend ourselves and stop letting these miscreants control us by blaming ourselves for what happened to us. Go to her Booth, I think she'll be more receptive to whatever you have to say to her now."

Booth picked up Angela's hand and kissed it. "Thank you Angela. If Sweets doesn't watch out you're going to put him out of a job." Angela smiled at him and Booth went to Brennan's bedroom door and knocked lightly.

"Come in Booth." Brennan answered.

Booth opened the door and closed it quietly behind him. He found Brennan sitting in front of her window and just looking out.

"How did you know it was me? It could have been Angela."

Brennan just turned and looked at him with a big smile. "Who else could it possibly be?" Without warning and to Booths total surprise Brennan got up and went to him and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. When she stood back she held him at arm's length and said "thank you Booth."

"For what?" Booth said.

"For being patient with me, for giving me the time to heal, for loving me even after so many men had their turn at me. I know that it is illogical to think this but women, after being raped, are always afraid of their husbands or boyfriends rejecting them and blaming them for what happened."

Without hesitation Booth picked Brennan up and into his arms and put her on the bed while doing this he never stopped kissing her. "Does this prove to you what I think of you?" This was the first time that he had even touched her in this manner since she was raped. He went slowly at first to make sure that she was ready also but his concerns were quickly dismissed as she responded in kind.

When they were done with their love making they lay on the bed. Brennan was sleeping a deep uneventful sleep. For the first time in a long time she didn't have any nightmares. Booth put his arm under her neck and pulled her closer to him and kissed her on her forehead. As he watched her sleeping he knew that she would never allow him to protect her like he wanted so for now this would have to do.

THE END