Wowza…… Okay, let's check: I got threatened, but no rotten tomatoes ……. Now is that good or bad? Hm... I guess the only way to make sure I stay alive is to post the next chapter... and here it is! Please enjoy!

AAAAAAND: Thank you for your reviews, sweeties! I am really, really flattered.

Chapter 25

The FBI agents slowly approached the entrance to the wine cellar. The butler had not been lying, there had indeed be a narrow and overgrown path leading from the cot through the wood towards the entrance, that was built into the hill. From the other direction, out of the wood, footprints led to the big doors and Booth instinctively knew, that this had to be the right place. She had to be here, now he only had to get her out. Piece of cake, right?

He swallowed hard, but ignored every emotion, he let all the years of training take over and drown out his sentiments until all that remained was alertness and rationality. Bones would be so proud, he thought sarcastically.

He motioned for two of the agents to take the right side of the door, he and the other agent took the left. Booth reached for the handle but before he took a step towards the door, something caught his attention. A cable, partially hidden under the doormat. A doormat in front of the entrance to an abandoned wine cellar? Something did not add up here...

Booth was pretty sure that The Collector had hidden a pressure sensor underneath it, as a part of an alarm system. His gaze went around, searching the door frame, and sure enough he found a small hole in the wood in one corner. He nodded to himself, finding his suspicion confirmed... there had to be a camera behind it.

He pointed to the camera and to the doormat to show the other agents what he had found, not daring to speak since somewhere there might be a hidden microphone too. He hesitated before reaching for the handle again, but he figured that since there was the pressure sensor beneath the mat it was unlikely that the handle itself was wired to the surveillance system too. He took in a deep breath and reached forward, careful not to step on the door mat, and pressed down the handle, gently pushing the door. But...it did not open...

He saw that there were two big iron rings on the outside of the heavy wooden door and that there were scrapings on them that indicated that there used to be a chain to keep the door closed. Since there was no other device or lock he came to one logical conclusion:

The door had to be bolted from the inside. The bastard was at home. Booth briefly closed his eyes, trying to cling to his professional calmness and stepped back.

He motioned for the agents to follow him away from the door and they retreated into the shadows of the forest until Booth thought a possible microphone was not going to receive the sound of their voices anymore.

"The door is bolted from the inside, that means he is inside too. I think there is a pressure sensor beneath the mat and there surly is a camera in the left upper corner of the door frame. There also might be a microphone." He explained.

"Can we shoot the lock?" The youngest agent asked and got back scolding looks from the others. "Did you see a lock?" One of them asked and Booth shook his head. "I said it's bolted... meaning there is a bolt on the inside, not a lock. And the door is solid, I don't think we can kick it in."

One of the agents let out a humourless laugh. "Not unless you want your leg broken instead of the door. Have you seen those hinges? Solid's an understatement, pal."

They looked at each other and one of the agents asked hesitantly. "We could get in with a motor saw."

Booth sighed. "You have one handy?" He asked sarcastically. The other agents shook their heads. "Would not be very subtle anyway... he would hear us and ... the situation could escalate... No, there has to be another way."

"SWAT?" Another one asked and Booth shook his head vigorously. "It would take forever to get a SWAT team here. She...THEY could be dead by then. No." Booth dismissed the proposition.

Booth started to pace, as he often did while thinking of a solution. After a few minutes he stopped and looked at the other agents for a moment. "I have an idea. I don't know if it is going to work, but it's worth a try."

The other agents looked at him curiously and he quickly explained his plan to his them.

A few minutes later they heard the distant sound of an alarm from the other side of the door.

The Collector cursed. He had been forced to leave her right in the middle of the lesson he was teaching her. That was not good... he never left them until he was finished with them. But the alarm ... he had to go and see what had caused the alarm. The last time – and that had been weeks ago – it had been a stray cat... peeing on the damn mat. He had to replace it, because otherwise dozens of cats would have come to the door and pee on the same damn spot ... and actuate the pressure sensor underneath the mat... or soak it until it was ruined.

When he reached the little monitor that showed the area outside the door, he sighed in relief. There was nobody there... but still, he had to make sure. He had used baits with poison to get rid of the cats, but maybe one had survived. In case it was another cat again, he would have to replace the mat... again. The Collector pressed the button to stop the alarm sound, all the time cursing under his breath and reached for his gun.

Then he climbed the dark stairs to the entrance with its heavy wooden door.

Soooooo, Booth and his colleagues are at the right place, that's good, right? Yeah? Good! (Please note, not all I do is evil, okay?) And they have a plan, that's even better! (See, good things and better things... so please just keep you rotten tomatoes for another chapter and no more threatening please ;) )

REVIEWS however, make me very happy and they also have that little side benefit of increasing my writing speed ;)