AN: Here it is! Beginning of this chapter sucks, middle is full of Angela/Hodgins/Vincent goodness (there's really no point for this scene it's just a filler), and the end...well...you'll see...Oy, this was so hard to write. It wasn't by far the most difficult (that little scene comes later), but this was definitely towards the top of the list. Top 3 definitely! Enjoy!
Chapter 28:
Booth arrived at the lab at about 8 AM. He hadn't seen Brennan since their session with Sweets the previous day. He had gotten busy getting ready for the press conference that would be later that morning. He called Brennan late last night to make sure that she had gone home, but to his disappointment she had decided to work late in the lab.
So here he was, walking into Brennan's office to find her sound asleep on the couch with files spread out around her. He stood in the doorway and took in her appearance. She was curled up in what had to be an uncomfortable position on the couch. Her hair was sprawled out in every direction, a small tendril of her auburn hair crossed in front of her face and clung to her mouth, which hung slightly open as she was took deep, steady breaths. Every so often a quiet snore would break through the silence. He knew he should let her get some rest, so, instead of waking her up, he walked over to the couch and draped the tiny blanket that normally rested on the back of the couch over her sleeping body.
"Booth?" Brennan asked as she slowly opened her eyes to see the man trying to tip toe his way out of the office.
He turned around to look at her face. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's fine," Brennan replied, avoiding eye contact. She sat up and threw the blanket onto the arm of the couch, and then she moved her attention to the files that were scattered around her. "I should be working anyways."
Booth shook his head. "You work too much, Bones. How late were you up til?"
"I don't remember," Brennan lied, not allowing herself to look up at Booth. He'd be able to tell that she was preoccupied. It was safer to avoid eye contact all together. "It doesn't really matter anyway. Are you prepared for your press conference?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Booth answered. "I gotta be at the Hoover at 9, then it starts at 10. Cullen seems to think that we'll be fine. And then once this media circus is over, we'll be able to focus more of our energies on the case."
Brennan stood up from the couch and moved so she was standing in front of Booth. She still didn't look him in the eyes, choosing instead to look at the floor. "Good. We can't really afford to have the media distracting us any longer. And Cam keeps saying that the investors are becoming very uncomfortable with the negative portrayal the Jeffersonian has been receiving from the press."
"We'll get that all taken care of," Booth reassured. "Don't worry."
"Right," Brennan agreed. She crossed her arms over her chest. She shifted her gaze up so she was looking at a spot just over his shoulders "Well, you should probably get going. You wouldn't want to be late now, would you?"
"Yeah," Booth said. He moved closer to Brennan and placed his hands on her waist. "Is everything okay, Bones? You seem a bit off today."
Brennan nodded her head. "Everything is fine, Booth. I'm just tired, I guess. You really should get going, you know."
"I know," Booth replied. He leaned in to place a kiss on her lips.
It was short and sweet, but ended just as quick as it began when Brennan pulled back to look him in the eye for the first time this morning. "I love you, Booth."
"I love you too, Bones." Booth replied, unsure as to why Brennan was behaving so strangely. He placed another quick kiss to her lips before making his way back out of the lab.
oOo
"Hey there, Romeo. Why the long face?" Angela asked as she bounced up the platform to join the rest of the team. Brennan, Cam, and Hodgins were talking to each other while Vincent was staring off into space with his head resting on his hand.
Vincent sighed and then turned his attention to Angela. "I just got off the phone with Morgan..."
"Ah, I see," Angela nodded. "You're sad because she's leaving for a week."
Vincent nodded his head. "She informed me that she was unsure if she would have time to call me while she's in Maine."
Hodgins sucked in a deep breath of air. "Oooh, sorry man! That's not good. Sounds like she's getting ready to toss you to the side."
The three women looked towards Hodgins with confusion written on their faces. Vincent looked about ready to cry. "Why...why do you say that, Dr. Hodgins?"
Angela shot Hodgins a glare and then answered. "Because he's a complete idiot, that's why."
"And he doesn't know what he's talking about," Cam chimed in. "Morgan is completely in love with you. She doesn't want to dump you."
"Like hell she doesn't," Hodgins interjected with an amused smile on his face. "She's going to Maine to escape the poor guy. Doesn't get any clearer than that. Tough luck, man."
"Actually, she'll be in Maine presenting a philosophical paper about how celtic art during the Middle Ages reflected the culture's beliefs and mythologies to a conference," Brennan stated. "There is no evidence to indicate that she wishes to end her relationship with Vincent."
"She said she wasn't gonna make time to call him the next week," Hodgins argued. "That sends a pretty clear message."
"No. I believe Vincent said that Morgan told him she didn't know if she'd have the time to call," Brennan objected. "Not that she didn't have the inclination to call. Conferences such as the one she'll be attending can be comprised of very hectic schedules. It comes as no surprise that she'd have very little free time."
"I suppose you're correct, Dr. Brennan," Vincent said.
"Don't listen to Dr. Hodgins," Cam stated. "He's just trying to cause trouble."
Vincent nodded his head. "I am gonna miss her, though."
"Oh, quit moping around," Hodgins quipped. "It's only been a few hours. It's time to man-up."
"Hodgins!" Angela scolded. She turned to look at Vincent. She fumbled with her words trying to say the right thing. "Don't...Hodgins...well, Hodgins is an idiot. Don't listen to him just because he's the only other man in the lab right now."
Vincent nodded and waited for her to continue.
"I know it's tough. You're young and in love. It's the first time you really have to deal with being separated from her. But you know, it's only a week. Then she'll come back, give you a little lovin'..." Angela wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "...and when all is said and done, you've just overcome your first obstacle. Until then, just bury yourself in your work. That'll pass the time."
"Angela is correct," Brennan stated. "I find it very easy to deal with things when I have immersed myself in my work. I find it very reassuring."
Ooo
~Previously on The Death in the Family~
"I'm coming, Ty. Jeez, ya don't gotta be so impatient!" She shook her head in amusement as she made her way to the door, opening to it reveal the man waiting on the other side.
"Oh...hey?" Morgan said, confused as to what this man was doing standing in front of the door to her her dorm. There certainly wasn't any reason for him to even be in this part of campus, let alone standing outside of her room. She stayed slightly guarded and kept the door between him and herself as a barrier. "Is there something I can help ya with?"
The man was flustered. "Well...you see...I was visiting a friend in the hospital, which is just across the way...and...well...anyways I was just trying to leave and...well...my car won't start. I remembered that someone had told me you lived here...and...well...can I borrow your phone to call for a tow?"
Morgan smiled at him and opened the door wider as an invitation for him to come inside. "Sure thing." She reached into her pocket, pulled out her cell phone, and handed it to him.
He took the phone from her hands, daring to let blush rise to his face in embarrassment, only to further his non-threatening façade.
Little did she know that it was all an act. He couldn't wait to get his hands on this one. Sure, he'd change the way in which he usually dealt with women in order to fulfill the desires that this one inflamed. It would be personal. Not to him, really. But to the man and woman who were becoming increasingly annoying with their little 'investigation' that aimed to put him behind bars for the rest of his life. He hadn't intended for Morgan to become one of his women. He actually kind of liked her. She was sweet, innocent, yet open to the idea that she was, in fact, human. Not an infallible goddess created by the heavens as most of the other women seemed to believe. No, he liked her. Which meant that he needed to step up his game.
He gave her a charming smile. "Thanks, kiddo."
"Yeah, no problem," she replied.
She finally closed the door, much to his relief. He flipped open the phone and pretended to dial a number. He looked over towards the bags piled near the door and he allowed his eyes to widen in mock shock. "Oh God, I completely forgot. You're supposed to be headed up to Maine, aren't you?"
"Yeah," she smiled at him. "Don't worry about it though. I'm only a few minutes late. No big deal. They're not gonna miss me." She rolled her eyes at her lame joke and her smile grew slightly wider.
He nodded, extremely pleased with her previous statement. "Thanks again for letting me use this." He indicated that he was referring to the phone, and then continued to listen to the silence emanating from it. After enough time had passed, he engaged in a polite 'conversation' with the person he was supposedly talking to on the phone. He went through all the motions of an actual conversation; the smiling, nodding, pausing in all the right places. He said his thanks and then handed the phone back to Morgan. "They said they'll be here in 10 minutes."
"Oh great!" Morgan said. "Look, I'd volunteer to wait with ya, but I was supposed to leave...um..." she looked at the clock on her cell..."about 30 minutes ago."
"Yeah, don't worry about it," he replied. "Hey, let me help you carry out your bags." He threw her a smile that he knew was irresistible. All the women told him so and swooned at him every time he decided to pull out that smile.
"That'd be great thanks," Morgan admitted. She turned her back to him and began to walk towards her suitcases. That was her first mistake.
As soon as she had let her guard down enough to turn away from him, he pounced into action. He jumped after her, tackling her to the ground. She let out a scream of surprise, which only encouraged him on further. Oh how he enjoyed it when they screamed. But he had to be mindful of the noise they were making. It was, after all, a dormitory. People lived on the other side of these paper thin walls. He climbed on top of her to restrict her movements and placed his hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds of her screams. She fought back. She fought back harder than all of the others. He found that he quite enjoyed the struggle. Perhaps he'd even allow for a little game of cat and mouse before he granted himself full control over her.
She was trapped. Trapped beneath him and struggling to get free. She had frozen the moment he climbed on top of her, but she recovered quickly. She began twisting and turning, trying to free herself from this man's tight hold on her body. But it seemed that her struggled only served to increase his power and enjoyment. His arousal. Yes, she had begun to feel his growing arousal the minute he climbed on top of her. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage, should she ever get enough room to move.
She bit down, hard, on the hand he had placed over her mouth. He stumbled back in shock and pain. This allowed her enough room to wiggle out from beneath him. The minute she stood up, she began to get dizzy. Her head was pounding from when she collided with the floor. It protested her every movement, but the adrenaline she secreted in her fight for survival numbed the pain enough for her to land a nice hard kick to his groin.
He crumpled to the floor in pain and watched as Morgan stumbled around the apartment. He was blocking the front door, leaving her with two other options. Go upstairs like all the dumb women who get themselves killed in horror movies. Or run out the back door. The choice was obvious.
The pulsating pain in her head increased with every step she took. She tried not to let the pain, the dizziness, prevent her from escaping. Her body was screaming at her to lay down and rest, but her mind was reminding her that she needed to run. Run as far as possible and hide. She no longer could remember why she needed to run, only that it was necessary for her survival. She was halfway to the back door when she noticed the blood. It was hot on her face, dripping from some unknown point of origin on her head. She tasted the rusty, metallic red liquid as it dripped down her face and past her lips. She felt the sting in her eyes, both from pain and from the bloody trails that dripped off her eyelashes and into her eyes, effectively blurring her vision.
She stumbled into the table next to the couch. She heard a faint crash, the breaking of glass as it fell onto the floor. She continued her journey to the glass doors at the back of the room, stumbling into more furniture along the way. She heard the crunching of glass from behind her, and she tried to pick up her pace.
When she finally got to the door, she grabbed the handle and pulled. It didn't open. A sob escaped from deep within her throat as she felt her hope being washed away with the tears she didn't realize she had been crying. She pulled again. It didn't budge. She knew the door was locked, but the pain that was numbing her mind made her unable to remember how to do something as simple as unlocking the door. Another sob escaped as she began to hit the glass door in frustration.
She turned around, resting her back on the door as she searched for other options. None came to mind. The man was walking towards her, a sick, sadistic smile on his face. He seemed calm, in complete control of his actions. That had been Morgan's second mistake. She allowed herself to panic, allowed the pain to affect her judgement. Her head was pounding, her knees were weak. She was taking quick, shaky breaths. She had no escape. She was too weak to fight. She didn't have the strength to run. Her knees gave out beneath her as she slid to the floor, letting the blackness take over.
AN: You hate me. I know it. So that's why I have braced myself for your reactions. Go ahead...throw the rotten tomatoes! I can take it, I swear...*~*{winces and shrinks into myself}*~*...I'm sorry! But make sure you save some of those tomatoes for later chapters. You may or may not need them...*~*{peeks over the wall I'm hiding behind}..."Are we done yet?"{Gets hit with a final tomato}..."Guess not"...{shrinks back into the hole I have dug myself into}*~*
