I know…it has been a while since I have updated this story, and I am very sorry for that. Hopefully these next few chapters will make everyone happy.
Thank you to a reader for correcting me in my spelling of Seeley's name, as I was spelling it Seely.
Bones is now, about 7½ to 8 months pregnant.
AS ALWAYS…I DO NOT OWN BONES OR ANY CHARACTERS.
Missing 2 months
Purgatory.
Hell.
She didn't believe that either one existed, but she felt like she was living in Hell. The room that she had been kept in since they arrived had become her own, personal hell.
The few times he had to come into her room he wouldn't look at her. He never spoke to her, never asked anything of her. He never touched her, except for when he brought her into the room.
He didn't do anything to her, didn't hurt her in any way. But he wouldn't let her leave; wouldn't let her go outside. He wouldn't let the warm rays of the sunlight touch her skin.
He was keeping her from her natural habitat, her life. He was keeping her locked up when she longed to be outdoors. She ached for the wilds of Africa, the jungles of Panama, the culture of Japan.
She couldn't remember what it looked like outside. She was starting to forget what the stars looked like in the night sky. She was forgetting what the Jeffersonian looked like…what her friends looked like.
But, she would not let herself forget what Booth looked like.
He might be breaking her spirit, taking away her ability to hold on to her most precious memories, but she would not let him take that from her. No matter what he did to her, he would not make her forget Booth.
She thought about him often, wondering what he was doing. She always hoped that he was looking for her, but she knew that after this long Cullen would have made him move on to a new case.
She thought about their baby, hoping that one day he would get to see his daughter…but coming to grip with the fact that that might not be possible. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she hoped that it would be quick. She didn't want to think about her child in pain.
She wished that she hadn't pushed her father away for so long. She knew why he and her mother left her and Russ, and now she understood it. They did it to protect them; just like she would do anything to protect her daughter.
She never thought that she would forget anything. She had to remember things, mundane facts…things that 'normal' people wouldn't even imagine, but she couldn't remember what Angela's voice sounded like. She couldn't distinguish between Zack and Hodgins when she remembered them yelling 'King of the Lab!'
She would see them and hear them in her dreams, but when she woke up they would be gone. Fleeting reminders of what her life had been.
Booth, please don't forget about me. I am forgetting Angela and Hodgins and Zack, but I don't want you or anyone to forget about me.
I keep thinking that one day that door is going to open, and you are going to be standing there. You are going to come rescue me, like all the times before, riding in on your white horse. My knight in FBI shining armor.
He had to come take her away from this hell. Her hell.
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He couldn't do anything else for her. He felt like he had failed her…failed the person that he had always promised to protect. Other than Parker, she was the single most important person in his life and he had failed her.
Booth hadn't worked on any other case since Bones had been taken, deferring them to other agents. Cullen had understood the first few weeks, but then he started putting pressure on him to get back to his job.
He remembered back to the day when he had been called into Cullen's office…
"Agent Booth, please have a seat."
He had come straight here when he found out that the Deputy Director had requested his presence. When he walked into the room, however, he quickly figured out that he wasn't the only one to be called into Cullen's office.
His eyes swept to the person that was seated in front of Cullen's desk, and hardened when he realized who it was.
"Dr. Sweets is here because I asked him to be here, Agent Booth."
Taking a seat without looking at Sweets, "Why am I here Cullen? I haven't done anything to warrant being called into your office."
He looked at Sweets before answering. "We are worried…"
"Don't be. I'm fine." He had to get out of here. "If that is all, I have things I need to do."
"Agent Booth" Sweets started to say, but when Booths face looked at him he thought better of it.
"Booth, you need face facts." The storm in his eyes started brewing again, with every word that Cullen spoke. "There have been no leads. There is nothing to tell us where she might be. We cannot keep wasting time trying to look for someone who isn't there." Both men could see his eyes grow dark. "We need you back. You need to do your job."
"No."
"What?!" Cullen and Sweets said shocked.
"No. I can't do my job. I won't do my job. When I find her, and I will, we will do our jobs again."
Cullen took a breath, "We cannot wait that long. We cannot wait till we find her."
"Then, you don't have to worry." Standing up and going to the closed door, "I resign."
He had failed her. Again.
What was he going to do? They had nothing to go on. They no more evidence to sift through. No more witness to interview.
He had failed.
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Getting information about an ongoing FBI Missing Persons case wasn't too hard for someone of Max's background. He knew who to contact; knew who could give him what information.
He also knew who to call when the authorities were going no where.
Ring-Ring
"Hello"
"Firth. Have you found anything?"
He wasn't a praying man, except for when he had pretended to be a priest, but he had been praying that Firth had found something. Anything.
"Man, lemme tell ya, I put feelers out…" he knew what was coming next.
"You didn't find anything, did you?"
"Sorry man. If I hear anything I will let you know."
He hung up on the one contact he knew could get him information. He knew it then, that they were screwed. He knew that if he couldn't get anything, then the FBI had nothing to go on too.
What was he going to do? He had never been there for his daughter, but he had never quit loving her or worrying about her. He knew that she was a fighter, but even she had her breaking points.
He knew that she depended on Booth, more than she would like to admit. He also knew that if anything happened to her, Booth was going to be a broken man…no much unlike himself when his Ruthie died.
He knew what Booth was capable of, and prayed that nothing happened to Tempe. If anything happened to her or to their child, he knew that Booth would be pushed over the edge.
He had been watching Booth over the past few weeks, and could see that he wasn't doing much better than he was. Booth, from what he could see, hadn't been sleeping and he was drinking again. Also, he was starting to lose weight.
God help the people that did this to Tempe…because, if Booth finds them, God is going to be the only thing to save them from his unyielding wrath.
Nothing can happen to her…if something does, nothing will keep him from going after them. No one will be able to control him; help him reign in his emotions.
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She needed to do something…needed to keep her hands and mind busy, if only for a few hours. Not knowing what she wanted to do she started wandering around her and Hodgins' house, and ended up in a room that she hadn't been in since Bren went missing.
Her studio.
Her eyes immediately went to a canvas that had remained untouched for the past five months. Bren had given it to her after an argument, knowing that she would create a masterpiece on it.
Not knowing what she wanted to paint on it, she had it put in the corner until she could decide what would go on it. She knew that it had to be special, not just anything.
After getting some of their 'people' to help her move the large canvas to a more convenient work spot, she sat down in front of it. She still didn't know what she wanted to do, so she stared at it for an hour until it hit her.
Grabbing her paints and brushes she started working.
She didn't stop. She couldn't stop. She didn't want to miss anything. She would not leave anything out. She had to get everything right. Not mess anything up.
She had been working for hours when she heard jack knock softly on the door.
"Angela, babe, are you in here?"
She didn't answer, not wanting to take her mind off her task but she heard him open the door and come in. she knew he wouldn't come closer, but was surprised when she heard the gasp behind her.
"Jack, I am working. What do you want?"
"Martha," indicating their housekeeper "called me to let me know that you were in her. She told me that you hadn't come down for dinner, and she was worried about you."
"I am find, honey. I need to finish this, please."
She didn't need to look at Jack for him to hear the desperation in her voice. She needed this, and he knew it.
"Okay" and with that she heard him leave her studio.
She had to get this finished…if not tonight, then tomorrow, but she needed to get this done. Done for her and Hodgins and Zack and Booth and even Max.
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Hodgins was used to getting calls from the people who worked for him; he got them all the time. they wanted to know if he wanted to donate money to this or that cause, wanted to know what he would like for dinner, wanted to know if he was going to attend this meeting or not. He was surprised to get a call from Martha that afternoon though.
He knew that she cared for Angela like she was her own daughter, and she wouldn't call regarding her unless something was really wrong. He knew that it was something big when she said that Angela wouldn't come out of her studio.
When he walked into the studio that evening, he was astonished to see the piece of artwork that was in front of his wife. He had never seen her work on something that complex, that personal before.
After talking to her for a minute, before leaving, he had to look at the painting once more. He stared at every aspect of it, not wanting to forget one detail. He felt it soaking into his memory, knowing that he would never forget it.
One day she would see it. She just has to.
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She's mine…why does she keep talking about Booth in her sleep? Doesn't she know that he isn't going to come help her this time?
Why doesn't she forget about him? She has me now; she doesn't need to worry about him anymore.
He had heard her talking in her sleep again, and had become enraged again. No matter what he did to break her will, she still thought about him.
He laughed to himself, knowing that there was no way for him to rescue her this time. he knew of the other times that he had dropped in, saving her at the last minute, but knew that there was no way for him to do that this time.
He knew that he was going to have to take care of the problem that has arisen, but he didn't know what he was going to do. He was going to need help, he knew that much, but he didn't know who to trust.
He was going to need to find someone soon, because he could not lose her because of his own stupidity and anger towards the problem. He had lost her once before, and he would not allow that to happen again.
A/N: what did everyone think about this chapter? I have been working on it for a couple hours, and for now I am happy with it. I wanted to show how things are starting to affect her…I am not trying to make her seem weak.
COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED…PLEASE!!!!