Thank you all for your awesome reviews, sweeties, you rock! Well, what will Booth find behind that door?


Chapter 28:

Booth opened the metal door cautiously, trying to brace himself against what ever was waiting for him. The stale and unmistakable smell of illness greeted him and he swallowed hard. Then his gaze settled on the figure on the floor, curved into a fetal position in the middle of the cell.

And though he could only see her back and her hair was dripping wet – as were her clothes – he immediately recognised her. Her body was shaking and seeing her like that nearly tore his heart out... but she was alive and that was all that counted.

"Bones" He exclaimed and rushed forward, nearly stumbling over a bucket. He moved closer towards her body and tears formed in his eyes when he saw how pale her skin was and how hard her body shook. "Bones, can you hear me?" Her eyelids fluttered, but remained closed.

He was somewhat hesitant to touch her... she did not react to his voice any further and touching her might pull her out of her catatonic state in a brutal way. Unsure what to do he simply knelt beside her and whispered her name again. "Bones, please, Bones... "

And then – suddenly – her lips moved, forming words. "Go away. You are not real." Her voice sounded hoarse and broken and was barely audible. The defeated and fearful tone, that was so different from how her voice usually sounded, made his heart ache.

"Bones, please ... look, I am really here." Carefully he took her hand in his and was shocked how cold, clammy and lifeless it felt in his strong warm hand. With his other hand he gently smoothed her hair and stroked her cheek. The skin of her face felt hot under his fingers and he knew she was having a fever.

"Bones...You are ill, we have to get you to the hospital. But please, I need you to talk to me. I need you to look at me." His voice was pleading, but she did not open her eyes but whispered. "Go. Don't haunt me. Go, you are not real." Her body shook even more now and he squeezed her hand gently. "Please, look at me, Temperance."

Booth felt how her body suddenly went rigid and her eyelids fluttered open and after a moment her gaze settled on his face. Booth watched how the different emotions that raged in her showed on her face, doubt battling with recognition, wonder with understanding.

She blinked and tears started to form in her eyes... in her nightmares, he had never called her Temperance.

"Booth?" She finally whispered, her voice barely audible. His heart skipped a beat.

"Bones, oh God, you scared me so much... I am here, it's over, okay." His voice was thick with emotion and there were not only tears in her eyes, but also in his.

"You are real. You called me Temperance. You found me." She whispered and he just nodded, not understanding why that meant so much to her, but also not caring.

All he wanted to do was to take her in his arms, but he remembered how The Collector had treated his other victims. Remembered the bruises, the broken bones.

He swallowed hard and whispered. "Can I just hold you... I ... don't want to hurt you." He nearly choked on the words, the mere thought of what he may have done to her was hurting him. Nothing more than the ghost of a faint smile appeared on her face and he was sure it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life. "I'd like that." She murmured and he gently pulled her into an embrace. "Oh, thank God. I've got you. It's over" He whispered, to himself or to her was not clear anymore, but it did not matter.

Tears were streaming down his face, mingling with hers as their cheeks touched, hers so hot it felt like fire against his skin. Booth held her still slightly trembling body as tight as he dared and murmured reassuring words into her ear. Then he suddenly felt how she became limp in his arms and he knew she had fallen unconscious.

Pressing a soft kiss to her wet hair, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the cell, yelling for the EMTs.


Angela's fingernails were digging painfully into the flesh of Jack's underarm – but he did not dare to object - and she was nervously biting her lower lip while they were waiting for news of Booth's team. When finally one of the walkie-talkie's broke the silence, they all held their breath.

"Here Denton. The suspect has escaped, I repeat, the suspect has escaped. He is armed, but probably wounded. There is another exit in the middle of the wood, rough terrain, we wait for back-up before going after him. The cellar is safe, send down EMTs..."

Angela watched how the EMTs who had been waiting nearby hurried off towards the wood and shuddered. She barely listened to what the agent near her answered, she only choked out: "Is she there? Is she ... alive?".

The agent near her gave her an odd look, but Denton seemed to have heard her question because the walkie-talkie croaked: "No identifications so far, Booth and Morris are inside, but in the cellar there is no reception, the walls are too thick, I guess. We will go back inside too and wait for the EMTs."

Angela let out a strangled sob. "I have to see... I have to know if she is there!" Hodgins placed a hand on her arm, but she shook it off. "I need to know, Jack."

Her fiancé nodded. "I know, Angela. Booth is going to let us know as soon as he has her."

She shook her head. "I need to go there" She turned towards the FBI agent. "Please can't I just go down there?" The man looked at her and gave her an understanding, but also apologising look. "No, I am sorry, lady, but I really can't let you go inside now. We have to ensure medical treatment first..." Angela gave him a look that would have let any man flinch, but the FBI agent stood his ground. "I am sorry, but that's how it has to be."

Jack took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. "Just a few minutes, then we will know more." He assured the artist and gave her an encouraging smile. She swallowed hard and squeezed his hand tightly... and so they waited until a few minutes later the walkie-talkie croaked again.

"Shriver here. We found five women. One of them...is dead. Two positive identifications. Monica Portman. Temperance Brennan."

Angela's body went rigid. "Is Brennan dead or alive, god damn it?" She exclaimed at the top of her voice, interrupting the FBI agent who had just been about to repeat the information back for confirmation.

"Sorry" The walkie-talkie croaked again. "The dead victim is not yet identified. All other women are in need of medical treatment, but alive."

Angela let out the breath she had been holding, not paying attention to the exchange between the agents anymore.

"Oh, thank GOD!" She sighed and hugged her fiancé tight, then she turned around to Zach and pulled him into a quick embrace.

The agent who had been waiting with them cleared his throat audibly. "Ehem... We can now go to the entrance ...if you like."

"Are you kidding?" Angela asked and was already hurrying towards the wood before the agent could even open his mouth to reply.


Sooooo, Booth found her! Wohoooooo!

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