Hey again, people! Thank you all for reading and of course for REVIEWING! You really rock!

Here we go... chapter 26 is ready! Wohoo!

Chapter 26

Booth heard how the faint noise of the alarm stopped and held his breath. That could only mean The Collector had deactivated it. Booth hoped that Roberts really was going to come up to open the door and check what had caused the alarm in the first place.

The solid door faced the wood and Booth and two of his agents were hiding behind the big trees, Agent Denton, the smallest and leanest of the agents, however was not. He cowered in the blind spot of the camera, with his knees tight against his chest, looking like a child playing hide and seek.

Booth would have taken the position himself, but he was taller and his broad structure made it impossible for him to squeeze himself together like Agent Denton. Booth only hoped Denton was not going to get hurt because of his crazy plan. The plan that hopefully was going to get them into that wine cellar. Get him to Bones.

According to the plan, the younger agent was supposed to grab the door and hold it wide open as soon as Roberts opened it, to give Booth and the other two agents a free line of fire. They had switched off their walkie-talkies and agreed upon some basic signs to communicate without words.

Two minutes after the low buzz of the alarm had stopped, Denton made on of the signs they had agreed on. It meant 'I hear something'.

Booth exhaled slowly, calming his inner turmoil. He still stood behind the tree, peeking around the trunk, the gun in his right hand aiming at the door. He knew the other two agents were doing exactly the same.

Booth's gaze was fixed on the door and the man cowering beside it. He could see how Agent Denton's body tensed and he knew that the bolt had been slid away on the inside of the door. He pressed his teeth together. Then the door opened, only slightly, but it was enough.

Denton's hands shot forward to the handle and he pulled it towards him with all his strength, revealing a very surprised – and shocked – Marc Roberts. He had a gun in his hand, but obviously no idea at what to aim it.

"FBI" Booth bellowed. "Lower your weapon, Roberts. Or we will make you." But he did not... for nothing more than a split-second Booth's and Roberts' gaze met and then Roberts whirled around, retreating into the darkness of the entrance to the wine cellar. "Stop" Booth yelled and fired his gun, but all he could see was darkness and he had no idea at what he was firing.

"We're going in!" He ordered his colleagues, then he switched his walkie-talkie on again and repeated the sentence. After receiving a confirmation he shut it off again. "Be careful and quiet, we don't know anything about that cellar, he may try to ambush us somewhere." His colleagues nodded and Denton appeared behind the door, his gun in his head.

"I think you got him." The young agent informed Booth. "I heard him cry out, I think you shot him."

"Good" Booth grumbled. "He deserves pain. Loads of it. Now, come on, no time to lose. He still has women down there... and he may try to kill them."

Angela clutched Hodgins' hand tightly, her eyes nervously following the agents who roamed the house. There were no news from Booth, who had left with three agents towards the wine cellar some time earlier.

Then the sound of a gun-shot tore through the silence and she yelped in surprise, giving her fiancé a shocked and worried look. A few moments later the walkie-talkie of an agent nearby croaked a "We're going in." It was Booth's voice and Angela's body started to tremble.

"That means... that means..." She stammered and looked at Hodgins and Zach.

Jack gently took her hand. "That means that there is a chance that Booth is going to get her out."

"Yeah. Right." Angela breathed, but her body was still trembling, until Hodgins enveloped her in a tight hug. "She is my best friend, Jack." She whispered into his ear and he nodded and simply said: "I know."

"Booth is going to bring her back." Zach murmured and both his colleagues turned around to face him, giving him an astonished look. Zach saw the stunned expression on their faces and blushed slightly, somewhat embarrassed. "I know that there is no scientific proof for that, I just..."

"You have faith in Booth. We all have. Even Dr. Brennan." Jack gave him a wry smile. "It's human."

Zach frowned a little. "It's irrational." Jack nodded. "Yeah, well, human."

Angela lowered her head to her fiancé's shoulder, murmuring "I hate waiting."

Then she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of his after-shave, trying to let it soothe her.

I bet you all hate waiting too, right?

But the wait is soon over... the next chapter will finally show what's going on in the wine cellar. I know this has been a short chapter, but I am already working on the next one... So, uhm... I am still not too fond of rotten tomatoes... I also don't like it when you throw knives or other sharp things... just remember, only happy writers write fast and guess, what makes me happy?

Yep, you're right: REVIEWS.