Update 25- Exactly What He Wanted
4:00 AM-
Temperance continued to sit on the bed, Harding's arms still wrapped around her securely as her crying had slowly stopped. So now, motionless and at a loss for anything, he could only continue to hold her, without any idea of how to proceed from here. Harding looked up as Max walked into the room slowly, his eyes catching the young Agent's eyes as he took a slow, deep breath. "You have visitors, Temperance." He said softly.
"Visitors?" She asked, looking up at Harding, her eyes moved to her father, who she hadn't even noticed had walked into the room. "No… no visitors." She said as she started to stand up. "It will disrupt the crime scene, we can't disrupt the crime scene, we have to figure out who this Deuce person is… we have to go find him… we have to find him and tell him that Antonia's gone and they're looking for him!" She exclaimed.
"He already knows." Max said softly as he approached her, her eyes widening when her father spoke, her jaw dropped.
"You know this man?" She asked, her voice shaking as she pointed toward the wall, and the words that had been scrawled across from it, her eyes not being able to looking at it, her heart in her throat suddenly as she shook her head. "You know the man responsible for this?"
"He's not responsible for this, Temperance." Christopher said as he stood up. "He was trying to protect you. He's been trying to protect you since Booth died. We have to trust him; we have to trust that…"
"He will get her back alive." Max finished. He watched the hurt in his daughter's eyes.
"How do you know him? How do you know him, Dad?" She asked, her voice becoming stronger as she walked up to her father, confronting him angrily. "How do you know this man?"
"He came to me for help, Tempe. He knew that these guys were getting close, so he came to me for help. He's a good man, Tempe. He's a very good man, and you have to trust that."
"Trust that? I have to trust that? I trusted you to take care of my daughter, and you brought this man into our life? You let him into your home while your granddaughter was there? How dare you tell me to trust someone who has put my daughter in harm's way! How dare you ask me to trust you?" Temperance screamed. "I don't trust anyone!" She exclaimed. "I don't trust you!" She pointed at her father, and turned toward Harding. "And there is no way in hell that I will ever trust you!" She shouted angrily at Harding as she turned and stomped from the room, slamming the door behind her.
She was angrily walking toward the door, her complete focus on the open doorway, when she realized who the 'visitors' were that Harding had mentioned. "Sweetie!" Angela exclaimed as she grabbed her friend mid stride, pulling her into a supportive hug, she was nearly pulled across the room as Temperance stopped her tirade and immediately melted into her friend's arms. "Your dad told us what happened…" She whispered as Temperance just continued to hug her, as Hodgins stood to the side, his eyes on Angela's as he gave her a concerned look. "We're going to find her, sweetie… don't you worry, we're going to find her." Angela said, pulling her friend from the hug, she stared into Temperance's eyes. "We're going to find her."
"I…" Temperance whimpered, though the anger in her eyes was still evident, she shook her head as she stared into Angela's eyes.
"Hodgins brought his kit, he's going to get some samples… we're going to find out where these guys came from, and we're going to get Antonia back alive." She said with a nod, looking up at the two men who emerged from the bedroom. Harding looked exhausted, his eyes bore the look of someone who was at the end of their rope, and Max looked no better. "Do we know anything?" Angela asked, looking at Temperance, and back to Harding and Max.
"Ask them." She said coldly, as she pulled away from her friend's embrace. Her eyes flicked between her friend, and Harding, when she suddenly made a decision. "I'm going to go find her." She said definitively, as she turned and walked swiftly out of the doorway and down the hall toward the stairs.
"Temperance!" Harding exclaimed. "Temperance, wait!" He shouted, running after her out the door. He disappeared around the corner, as Angela looked to Hodgins, and they both looked to Max. Hodgins nodded quietly, kneeling on the floor beside where the body had been found and began to collect samples, as Angela looked into the sad eyes of Max, and quickly and without warning, she stepped forward and embraced him in a hug of sadness and solidarity.
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Harding made it to the bottom of the stairs as Temperance burst through the door into the cool air of the outdoors. She was breathing heavily from the physical exertion, mixed with the fear and anxiety that was threatening to destroy her. As soon as the cool air slammed into her lungs, she took a deep breath and looked right and left down the street.
Harding burst out of the door, immediately noticing the confusion on her face, he was fairly sure he knew what she was thinking. "Where is my car?" She exclaimed angrily. "Where is my car, I need to go!" She exclaimed.
"Temperance, you need to stop."
"Where is my car?" She screamed, stomping toward Harding, she pushed him hard. "Where the hell is my car?"
"I drove you home." He said simply, watching the anger rise in her once again.
"That's right! That's right, you drove me home… because you took me out to that stupid bar! You took me out, and you got me drunk… and you made me… you made me act like I had no responsibilities, like I didn't have a child at home that I should have been getting ready for bed, and reading a story to! No! You made me go to that stupid bar!"
"I didn't make you do anything, Temperance." He said calmly. "You needed it. You needed to get out and do something. We were celebrating." He said, watching the anger in her eyes flicker. His voice was calm, not condescending, trying desperately not to send her into an angrier tirade. He watched her carefully as she reacted.
"I should have been home with my daughter, Christopher! I don't care if I ended up dead on the floor! At least I could have done something! Lola has three children! Three babies that don't have a mother anymore because I was out celebrating! I don't care if I was the one dead on the floor! I don't care! I would have been able to save her! I would have been able to…" She said, hot tears rolling angrily down her cheeks.
"Try…." He whispered, stepping forward, he pulled her into his embrace, his strong arms tightening around her as she sobbed into his shoulder. "At least you could have tried, I know…" He whispered. "We're going to find her, Temperance." He whispered, his fingers running soothingly through her hair as he glanced toward the door. "Why don't you go in, spend some time with Angela. The police and FBI are canvassing the area, we're looking for her." He whispered.
"What are you going to do?" She whispered, staring him in directly into his eyes, her tears forcing her blue eyes to lighten tremendously. She appeared to be only slightly vulnerable, for the determination and anger never left her face through the tears. He sighed softly.
"I'm going to be the first one to find her." He whispered. "I'm going to find her for you and for Deuce…"
"Why does Deuce care so much about me?" She whispered the question softly, that he almost didn't hear it.
"He made a promise to someone that he would protect you from the men who killed Booth. He made a promise, and he is a very strong, and very noble man, Temperance." He whispered. "Go up with Angela… maybe Hodgins can find some clues that will lead us to where they're keeping her."
"No." She said plainly, her eyes darkening as the tears seem to disappear immediately. "I'm going with you."
"Temperance, it's dangerous. You're better off staying with your friends, so that we can find her, so that we can…"
"I'm not asking, Harding. I'm telling you. I'm going with you." She said, her face showing no signs of giving in. "I am not going to sit up in my house like a stereotypical battered housewife. I'm not weak, Harding. If you're going to be the one to find my little girl, I'm going to be the one there with you."
"Temperance."
"I'm serious, Christopher." She said, grabbing the front of his shirt, she watched his eyes focus on hers, and remain that way for several seconds. Showing him that there was absolutely no way that she was backing down, there was no way that he was going to get around this. She was going to be beside him every step of the way. "We're partners." She growled. "I am not giving in to this! If you want to be my partner, you're going to have to treat me like I am your partner! I will be there when you find my daughter!" She exclaimed.
He paused, watching the fear in her eyes slowly disappear into determination. She was building a wall around her heart again, she was building it strong on the foundation of her love for her daughter, for her daughter's father. "You can't get in my way, Temperance." He whispered.
"Don't insult me." She shook her head.
"I'm serious, Temperance. If I tell you to stay, you need to stay. I will not put you in harm's way."
"I know how to listen, Harding."
"I understand that you 'know how' to listen, but you have to actually do it in order for it to be effective." He replied.
"Stop wasting time, and let's go!" She exclaimed watching Harding pause for a moment, his eyes flashing to the door of the apartment and back to Temperance.
"Fine, but let me go get one thing before we go." He said, looking at her for a moment as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out his keys and gave her a pointed look. "Get in the car, and don't go anywhere." He said, tossing the keys in her direction, she let out an exaggerated scoff, as he turned toward the building and ran up the stairs.
She waited for him, instead of getting into the car, and when he emerged from the building, he was holding a metal box in his hands. He walked to her and handed it over to her. "You are not to use this unless absolutely necessary." He said as he grabbed the keys from her hand and walked around the car.
She looked at the box awkwardly as she walked toward the car, opening it slowly, she gasped at the contents. "Are you serious?" She asked, seeing the gun within the box, she opened the door and climbed into the car, noting the serious look on Harding's face.
"You don't go into a gun battle without a gun, Temperance." He said, turning the car on. "These men are very dangerous, and as long as you don't shoot me with that gun, I am not above letting you have it for protection."
"So you trust me?" She asked, her voice soft and full of question as he nodded toward the box.
"What do you think?" He whispered, watching her nod her head and lean over, gently sliding the box under the seat of the car for safe keeping, as Harding drove silently.
"I want to trust you." She whispered softly, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to remain strong for her daughter.
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He let out a guttural grunt as he was pushed from the car. Blindfolded and his hands tied behind his back, the blow to his side was sharp and painful, and he tumbled onto the sidewalk unceremoniously. "Son of a…" Booth grunted.
"What's wrong, Deucey? Can't handle a little roughness? We're only getting started!" Snake eyes spat as he climbed from the car and walked around it. "Get him into the building before someone sees him lying here pathetically!" He shouted at one of his men, who grabbed Booth's arm and wrenched him into a standing position.
"Hey, watch it!" Booth exclaimed loudly, feeling the fingernails of his assailant digging into his skin as he moved blindly along with him, holding his strength back, holding his anger inside. He knew that if he made one wrong move, he'd be dead, and he still hadn't made it to his goal, he still hadn't made it to Antonia. The man who was gripping him muttered something in Spanish, and pushed Booth forward as he listened to the door opening. He heard the sound of water dripping, and the air smelled of must and death. Everything was dark, if not just for the blindfold, but the place that he was being dragged into was damp and dark, and from the length of the car ride, they weren't far from the city.
He could hear cars from a highway, smell the sickening smell of something almost familiar to him. He had been in a place like this before, a long time ago. A murder investigation? He was suddenly thrown to the floor, his face skidding across the filthy cement, air pushing out of his lungs as he grunted. "Where is Antonia?" He exclaimed suddenly, knowing that they had to have brought her here. He said that he would see her, and he wanted to pray that it wasn't in death, but his thoughts wouldn't even bring that possibility up. He knew he'd see her, he needed to see her, hear her, hold her. They wouldn't murder an innocent child, would they? He panted as he tried to catch his breath, the taste of blood in his mouth was mixed with the taste of the dirt from the floor as he had slammed his face against it.
"Antonia?" Snake eyes said with a disdain filled hiss, his voice was higher than his brother's, but clearly dominant among the three other men that he had encountered so far. "What a pretty name for such a pretty girl…"
"Shut the fuck up!" Booth shouted, promptly receiving a kick into his ribs that sent him rolling onto his back, his body arched from his hands being tied behind him, he winced as he felt a hand coming at him, grabbing at the blindfold, he was staring into the eyes of his assailants. Blurry with tears of anger and pain, he stared angrily at the man. "I want to see her!" Booth exclaimed as he gritted his teeth against the pain.
"Oh, don't you worry… she's over there… in one of our little meat lockers…" He said with a snarky grin. "She's cold, Deuce… so cold…"
"You son of a fucking bitch!" Booth screamed as he struggled, only to have a foot pressed against his chest, and the man hang over him closer. "She's just a little girl! She's a little girl for God's sake! Let her go! You have me! You have me! Let her go!" He screamed as they opened the door of the locker that was about thirty feet away from the open area where they had tossed Booth. His eyes flashed over to the corner as a man stepped into the room. Suddenly, the air was pierced with the ungodly sound of a screaming cry. "Don't hurt her!" Booth shouted as he watched the man carrying something from the room, wrapped in a blanket, moving viciously. "Just let her go!" He exclaimed as he struggled against the man's foot, watching as the man lifted the wiggling mass of blankets to the ground, grabbing the tied hands as she struggled. "Antonia…. Antonia!" Booth shouted. "Toni!" He shouted.
"Deuce!" She screamed through the blanket. "DEUCE! SAVE ME! DEUCE!" She sobbed against the blanket as she swung her body back and landed on her back, fighting violently against the hold that the man had on her.
"Antonia… stop struggling… stop… stop… baby, please stop, you're going to hurt yourself."
"I want mommy!" She sobbed. "Let me go!"
"What the fuck are you doing?" Booth exclaimed, staring up at Snake eyes as his eyes went back to the struggling little girl, who had stopped pushing so hard, but was still crying, frightened, her breathing labored and her voice full of terror induced sobs.
"Don't worry…" He said as he laughed. "The freezer isn't on… we don't have any power here, you know? But that would be a great torture, wouldn't it? We could toss some water on them, throw them in the freezer… watch through the little window as they freeze to death."
Booth wanted to tell the man he was sick, that he was demented and a waste of breath and space, but he kept his opinions to himself, he kept his thoughts to himself. That little girl was all he wanted right now. He needed to hold her, he needed to see her face.
"Had you going there, didn't I…" He laughed a sickening laugh. "Here's the plan, Deuce…" He said angrily as he paced around the man who was lying before him. "We found these…" He said, pulling a quarter deck of cards from his own pocket, the heart suit that he had been carrying. "And we kind of assumed you were using these to lead your little former partner to us… you know, before all of this happened… this unfortunate thing…" He chuckled as he leaned down to Antonia and lay a soothing hand on her head.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Booth screamed as he lurched forward, his body flying across the floor as he nearly pushed the man over with his own strength, the tiny body in the blanket struggling away from the hold of the other man, her sobs and cries muted against the blanket as she trembled in fear.
"Oh, I don't want to hurt her, Deuce… she's too sweet to hurt… right now… but you see…" he said, standing up, over the man. "I had to sit in that room, while you killed my brother. Don't you remember me? The little boy standing in the corner… I was a bit older than this little girl here, but I was there… and I watched as you lifted that gun and you shot my brother, killing him in cold blood. I remember you, and I remember that little shit kicker of a partner of yours… so… how fitting will it be that he is going to lead himself, and Doctor Temperance Brennan… the mother of your own bastard child… right here… where I can torture them all… beat you in front of them, so they know how I felt… and kill them in front of you… so you can know how I felt when you killed my brother." He said angrily, his eyes filled with nothing but pure hatred. "I'm going to use these…" He said, holding up the cards. "And I'm going to lead them right here… right here to you, right here to me…right here to their deaths…" He said with a smile filled with such a frightening insanity, that Booth felt his stomach clenching, his pulse racing faster.
Snake eyes stood up suddenly, his focus away from the two bound prisoners before him. "Throw them both in the locker!" He shouted as he lifted his foot up to Booth again, kicking him as hard as he could in his ribs. Booth could almost audibly hear the cracking of his ribs at that last sharp blow, and the pain made his vision go white for a moment, as he watched the man lift Antonia from the ground and bring her toward the locker. The next man reached down and grabbed hold of Booth's arms, pulling him to his feet, the pain was excruciating, but Booth showed no sign of weakness, as his assailant pushed him angrily into the dark room, watching him slam his face into the metal wall across from him and fall satisfyingly to the floor, the other man left the sobbing blanket covered girl on the floor, and turned and walked out of the locker. The door slammed shut, bathing them in darkness, but for the small square of light in the door, that gave Booth just a glimmer of hope for survival, which was more than what he had when he first arrived at this horrible place.