(The Killer in the Concrete)

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I don't own Bones.

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Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the pain. During Operation Desert Storm, he had been a prisoner of war. He'd been beaten, spit on, his feet had been broken with a pipe and his leg was broken all in an effort to make him talk. Melvin Gallagher might be a big mob boss in West Virginia, but he had a lot to learn when it came to making people talk. If the Republican Guard couldn't make him talk then a small fry criminal didn't have a hope or a prayer as far as Booth was concerned. Realistic, he knew that the minute he answered Gallagher's questions he'd be killed and so his incentive to not talk was greater than the pain they were inflicting upon him. All he had to do was hold out until Brennan and her squints found him. Yeah, that's all I have to do.

She was trying to be as calm as possible. Booth had disappeared after his visit to the hotel that Ice Pick Kennedy was supposed to be staying in and the FBI was looking for him, but Brennan knew that time was of the essence. She needed all the help she could get to find her partner and that included her father. She was currently angry with him for murdering Deputy Director Kirby and taking Russ with him when he fled the area, but she needed help to find her partner and she'd take what she could get. Surprisingly he had offered to help. She didn't understand his motive, but that was the least of her problems at the moment.

Max had known that handcuffing his daughter to a bench and then having Russ leave with him after he killed Kirby was going to upset his daughter, but he'd hoped that she would forgive him for that. He still wanted to make things right between them. He had hated the fact that they hadn't had any contact in the last fifteen years, but he had done that to protect her. Now that Kirby was dead and his gang had been rounded up, he didn't see why he couldn't have a relationship with his daughter. True, the FBI was looking for him and if he was arrested he'd be tried for murder, but he was willing to risk his freedom to contact Temperance. After several failed attempts to talk to her, he was surprised when she told him that her partner was missing and she needed help finding him. As her father, he would do everything he could to help find Booth. The Agent was one of the few friends his daughter had and if he could rescue him then it would be worth the risk of being arrested. Of course, he had no intention of being arrested, after all he had been on the run from very dangerous people for a very long time and he was still free and breathing, wasn't he?

Gallagher was losing patience and his 'lawyer' was still unable to find out whether or not Hugh Kennedy was dead or not. The idea of Ice Pick still alive and well made the crime boss nervous. If Kennedy was alive and he took it in his head to come after him, he knew he wouldn't be safe. Ice Pick would find him and ram one of his tools in the base of his neck and move on with his life leaving poor old Melvin Gallagher dead and forgotten. It was important that the Fed tell him if Ice Pick was still alive, but so far, the bastard wouldn't talk. He wasn't used to that kind of resistance from anyone and was on the verge of killing the FBI Agent and letting the chips fall where they may.

They had punched him, slapped him, dropped him on his back and had kicked him in his ribs. Booth was sure that one or more of his ribs were cracked or broken, but he knew that he could put up with more much more. He could see that the crime boss was starting to lose his edge. The man was growing impatient and just a little bit afraid. Booth wasn't sure how long he had before Gallagher gave up on the torture and just killed him, but he was still hoping that his partner would find him before that happened. He didn't want to die. He needed to live for his young son. The boy needed a father and he would try to stay alive as long as he could. He would endure any pain Gallagher put him through if it would mean he could see his son once more.

Brennan and her associates put as many of the clues together as they could and to her relief, they finally determined where Booth was being kept. With Max's help, Brennan burst into the airplane hangar and stopped Lightner from ramming a heated screwdriver in to Booth's eye. The 'lawyer' had already held the screwdriver against Booth's leg and when she got close enough she could smell the faint smell of burned flesh. As they charged towards Booth, both Gallagher and Lightner turned and ran. Lightner tripped and fell on his screwdriver and Gallagher ran into the arms of an FBI Swat team. Since Booth's rescue was her main goal she didn't bother to pursue her enemies. The FBI could do their job and take care of them for her.

While Brennan removed the bonds holding Booth to the chair, Max took that moment to flee the hangar. He knew that if he stayed, the FBI would arrest him and he needed his freedom for at least a little while longer. His campaign to win back Brennan's trust was only just beginning and like any good conman he knew how to be patient and was willing to spend a lot of time on one project. He had helped her save her partner and he hoped that would mean something to his daughter in the future.

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Once he was released from the hospital and they had made a trip to the diner for Booth to eat, Brennan drove Booth back to his apartment and made sure he was safely in his home. "Your ribs are cracked Booth, so you need to make sure you don't lift anything heavy . . . that includes Parker when you see him. I think the burn on your leg will leave a scar, but it won't be unsightly."

Since Booth had a myriad of scars on his body, he wasn't too worried about a scar on his thigh. "Yeah, that's okay . . . I knew you'd find me." Weary, he moved over to his recliner, sat down and moved the foot rest up so he could lean back. "Gallagher wanted me to tell him if Ice Pick was dead or alive, but I wasn't going to tell him that no matter what he did to me."

She admired how brave her partner was. She knew that he had suffered a lot of harm while he was a prisoner of war and as an abused child, so she knew that Gallagher hadn't known who he was testing. "It took longer than I hoped, but I'm glad I was able to find you. Max helped me as much as he could . . . I find I am confused about what to do about him." Brennan sat down on the couch. "He murdered two men that we know of. He is a wanted fugitive, but he risked his freedom to help me rescue you . . . I don't know what he wants."

"He wants to be your father, Bones." Booth's body was aching and he longed to sleep, but his partner needed his help. "He knows he screwed up your childhood and he's trying to make up for being out of your life for so long. He loves you." Yawning, Booth tried to settle his legs more comfortably. The burn on his right leg was bothering him, but he knew it was just a minor inconvenience. "Of course, I'm going to arrest him the next time I see him, but as long as he keeps away from me and anyone else in authority he should be safe enough . . . talk to him the next time you see him. See what he has to say."

She watched Booth yawn and close his eyes. "There is an arrest warrant out for his arrest. He murdered people. I don't know if I want to talk to him . . . He killed a Deputy Director of the FBI but he helped say a Special Agent. He is oddly contradictory."

Tired, Booth tried to stay awake, but failed. Brennan saw that it was useless to continue the conversation, stood up and covered his body with a blanket she retrieved from his bedroom. "Booth." She spoke softly to confirm he was asleep. When he didn't stir, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I am glad you're not dead, Booth. I . . . I would have missed you."

Before she left the apartment, Brennan made sure the windows were locked, the light was on in the bathroom and the rest of the lights in the apartment were turned off. Standing in the hallway, looking at her partner, she realized just how much she relied upon Booth to help her clear up her muddled thoughts about situations like her father and brother. "You're a good friend, Booth." Turning she left the apartment making sure the door was firmly locked behind her.

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