A/N: Thanks to everyone who has left a review! Sorry it's taken so long to get another chapter up. I had a break through on the new novel I'm planning, so I spent all weekend focused on that. But, I finally got things rolling here. All characters you recognize belong to Hart Hanson and Kathy Reichs, all others belong to me :)

Chapter 25: Mommy Not in the Lab

"Angela? Have you seen Bones?"

Booth had taken the kids out to lunch. When he left, Bones refused to leave whichever body she was studying. She'd been working constantly, trying to find something that would give them a clue about where to find the psycho. He knew that if it weren't for Lily and Parker, she wouldn't leave the lab until she cracked the case.

Angela looked up from her electronic sketchpad and frowned. "No, not since before I went to lunch."

After leaving the kids with Angela, Booth preceded to check with each and every squint in the lab. The last any of them recalled seeing Bones was just after he and the kids left. Panic simmered at the back of his mind. The old Bones might have gone out on her own, but not the new Bones. She knew not to leave the lab without him or another agent.

Just then, he realized that one of the agents on duty was not the same agent who was there when he left.

"Where's Agent James?" Booth demanded of the suit-clad guards lounging by the lab door.

They immediately jerked to attention. "Um…" They exchanged uneasy looks. "He left with Dr. Brennan about an hour ago. She said she had to run an errand or something like that."

Growling in frustration, he dug out his phone and called her cell phone. It immediately went to voice mail. He knew it was illogical to panic, but he was starting to get to that point. He called Agent James's cell phone. Again, straight to voice mail. "Shit." He ran his hands through his hair. "Ok, both of you, get on the horn with the command center and have them activate the GPS chips in Dr. Brennan's cell phone and Agent James's phone. It might be nothing, but my gut tells me something's not right."

Instinctively, Booth went back to check on his kids. They were sitting together quietly in one corner of Angela's office, Parker reading one of Lily's favorite books to her. His chest ached, not knowing where their mother was. He wanted to find the tallest tower possible and lock them up, safe from any psycho that might try to hurt them. And he wanted to put Bones up there with them. But he had to find her first and that was the problem.

#

Bones slowly regained consciousness. Her head felt like someone was banging on every square inch of it. She tried to open her eyes, but it felt like her eyelids were made of sandpaper. Gradually, she became more aware of her surroundings. The floor underneath her was unyielding concrete. Her hands were cuffed behind her back. She felt something that might have served as a blanket on the ground by her hands. Dim light permeated the room. She could hear movement somewhere near her, but her vision still blurred, probably the effects of some sort of drug.

"Well, well, well, Dr. Brennan. Nice of you to join us," a female voice drawled from somewhere off to her right.

"It was not voluntary, so such pleasantries really aren't appropriate," she managed to scratch out, her throat almost as dry as her eyes.

A nasty laugh echoed through the room. "Heather said you were a cold fish. I wonder how cold you'll be when I get my hands on those brats of yours? Will you be able to be the icy scientist when I let Andrew beat precious Parker into a bloody pulp before breaking his little neck? Will you crack when I cut up sweet little Lily's darling face until you can't recognize it?"

Fear sent a wave of nausea roiling up in her, but Bones fought it back. "You won't get the chance," she said as defiantly as possible.

"Who's gonna stop her, bitch?" a male voice asked, coming from the same direction as the female. "Your heroic little FBI agent? I'll kill him just like I did that other government bastard who was with you."

"What- what are you going to do with me?" Horrible scenarios of torture flashed through her mind, all of which paled in comparison to the thought of losing Booth and watching her children suffer.

The evil laughter continued. "Why, nothing for the moment. We want you to suffer, just like Heather is suffering now, trapped in the cage you put her in." Lavender Taffet sounded just as coldly maniacal as her sister. It was clear that Andrew Mitchell was simply the minion here.

"Her suffering is nothing compared to what she put her victims through," Bones snarled.

"We'll see what you say after we're through with you, Dr. Brennan."

A/N: Reviews?