Sorry for the delay! Personal stuff… um, anyway, enjoy!! This is extra-long!!

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CHAPTER 37

Frank Bram had to own a greenhouse.

That was the only place where different species of plants could converge, it was the only place where he could rent a few isles without having to actually buy the entire structure (and leave the glaring paper trail).

I needed to tell Booth. To call the Jeffersonian, to talk to the police.

The cell phone was in my hand and I was walking to my car when it vibrated. I almost dropped it in surprise; I'd been about to dial Booth's number.

"Hello?" Maybe it was him, I could explain…

"Hey, Dr Brennan. Long time no see."

I stopped walking, feeling my strength and resolve crumple slightly as my legs shook, and I thought I would faint right in the middle of the parking lot. A horrible wave of nausea assaulted me.

"Where is Angela?" I managed to say.

"With me, Dr Brennan. But I want you to know something…"

"What?"

"I want you to stop looking for me. I told you to stop looking for me. I warned you, but you didn't listen. Remember when I said that? I said I'd really regret not killing you."

"I remember." My voice was a whisper, so low I didn't think he heard me.

"Well Angela here is growing restless. It's really upsetting poor Anne."

"Where are you?" I burst out.

"I can't tell you that. We're safe, together. But like I said… if you make me regret not killing you, I might have to kill her to get to you, right?"

I couldn't speak.

"Would it work? Would you come and see me if I said I'd hurt her otherwise?"
But now I could find him. He was going to ruin this, now that I finally had a chance to win.

"Frank, please just tell me where you…"

"Leave us alone!"

And he hung up.

I didn't waste time standing there in shock. I was in motion seconds after the line went dead. I had to call Booth, I had to talk to the team and tell them what I knew. The car took a couple of attempts to start, because I think I jammed my keys in the ignition a little too roughly, or maybe I was just shaking.

The phone rang again, this time scaring me so badly I actually let a little cry of surprise escape me.

"Hello?" I gasped.

"Bones! Were you right? Did Black tell you?"

"Yes. Bram would need permits, they should be in his apartment, tell Hodgins to…"

"No permits, he either took them or burned them."

"Okay, then tell Hodgins to re-examine the pollen in the hairs Bram sent us and tell me what greenhouse has those plants. Then ask Cam to compare that data against the area we've already specified. Bram has been there since a quarter to six yesterday, approximately, because Hodgins called Angela at six and she was already tied up. A whole day without being thrown out? That's strange, right? Ask Sweets to-"

"Why can't you tell them?"

"Aren't you at the Jeffersonian?"

There was a suspiciously guilty pause.

"Booth? Are you driving?"

"No." I realised I could hear the traffic as a distant background noise.
"Dammit, Booth, I told you, you could stay as long as you-"

"Bones, we don't have time for this. Where are you?"

"On my way here, I said…"

"Where specifically? I was… I was coming your way. Well, to see that you got out of jail okay, actually, and that you managed to confirm our suspicion…"

My heart seemed to skip a beat.

"We can meet halfway, then. I'm going to call Cam now. We'll have to notify the FBI team in charge of the actual investigation."

"Yeah." He told me where he was and I realised that in two minutes I'd reach him. It was a mall I often visited. It was strange to think that we'd meet and possibly decide how we would rescue my best friend from a mad killer… in a mall.

"Don't talk and drive at the same time, Bones."

"Says the man with a gunshot wound to his arm who escaped from hospital."

He chuckled. "Says the woman with two broken fingers who insists on giving health tips."

I'd honestly forgotten they were broken.

Honestly.
"See you in a couple of minutes, Bones."

"Yeah."

I hung up and immediately dialled Cam's number. She picked it up on the third ring.
"Cam! I need you to help me, the entire team. Here's what I want you to do…" I told them everything I'd told Booth, with fast precision (and never letting my eyes stray from the road). They had all the data they needed, all that was left was putting the system together and solving a large and complicated equation with many, many variables. But it was a compatible system, and my team was very good.

*

Booth was already waiting by the time I arrived, leaning against his large black SUV and looking tired. The lights coming from the mall threw shadows on the parking lot, making my partner's face more angular and sharp, his eyes more mysterious.

I quickly parked and got out of the car.

"They'll call me any second with the results." I said without preamble.

He turned to look at me quickly, then sighed, like seeing me was a relief to him. I pushed back any more thoughts about us. Now wasn't the time.

The only problem was that smothering something so huge was beginning to feel like putting out a fire with a single tissue.

"Okay. So we wait?" his voice was strained with nerves and worry. And… pain?

"Did you hurt your arm?" I said, moving closer to examine him.

"No." He pushed back defensively. I rolled my eyes.

"People say I'm a bad liar." I said, stepping right into his face and gently but firmly grabbing his hand.

"You are." He croaked, his gaze caught in mine, for once at my mercy. Our noses brushed lightly and he shivered. I hoped he wasn't cold. "Worse than me." He smiled lazily, and I didn't answer, but chose to remove his jacket, ignoring his searching eyes.

There was blood, I saw instantly.

"Dammit, Booth. I warned you. I told you what would happen and you-"

"… did it anyway, of course. A bit of pain is worth saving Angela. You would have done the same, Bones, don't lie."

"I won't." I carefully drew away from him and put my cell phone on the hood of his car, so that we'd hear it clearly when it rang. Then I went back to my car and took out my computer, so the team could send me images to backup their conclusions. I put it next to my phone and turned it on. Now that we had no time, we couldn't afford mistakes.

"Bones…" Booth had removed his shirt.

Ah.

Well, it could have been worse. I fought to remain as clinical as possible when I examined his wound, which had reopened (and which was no surprise). He didn't complain, not once, or flinch when I slowly lifted his arm to look at the stitches. I could see the hard muscles in his stomach tense and contract whenever I hurt him, and this was sign enough. His jaw was clenched, and that was a sign too.

"The wound has been reopened." I stated flatly.

"Yeah, I know."

"But the bleed had stopped for now, and the stitches are holding. You should go back to the hospital anyway, just to get a clean bandage…"

"Tomorrow."

I'd known he'd say that.

"Why aren't they calling, Bones?"

"That means they're still looking. They'll find her. Them. They'll find them. You know our squints can do it."

Booth laughed.

"What?" I said, although I knew why he'd laughed and I felt my cheeks heat in embarrassment.

"You said 'our squints'."

"I know." I was only mildly annoyed. Seeing him laugh in the midst of all this was like a breath of fresh air.

"I love that."

I rolled my eyes, and went to lean against the car next to him. To wait.

But…

"Wait, Bones."

His tone had changed. His body had changed. I could tell because of the tense way his jaw had slightly clenched again. The strong rectus abdominus and pectoral muscles of his chest and stomach were contracted, and his eyes glittered with anticipation. He looked godlike. Or more accurately… devil-like.

He put his good arm around me and pulled me close to him. Not much closer, because we'd already been too close, but so that he could kiss me.
At first, his touch was gentle and soft, delicious, exhilarating. It wasn't a breath of fresh air, it was a breath of air, just some air amidst choking, suffocating fear. His hand was massaging my head and making me lose reason, and his strong bare chest felt so good and I let my nails dig into it…

We never could be very innocent, could we? We weren't good at tame. Soon, my breath came in gasps and I was finding it more difficult not to press my body harder against his, even though I wanted to be careful with his wound. His hips kept shifting forward, and I felt the pressure of his arousal against me, strong and bold. The feverish desire to say 'I love you' again took me by surprise, as he kissed me furiously, deeply, fantastically…

Then he spun me around and slammed me against the car, putting his good arm on the body of the SUV to steady himself. He towered over me in all his glory: predatory, masculine, alpha-male. I felt like my legs would collapse from aching so bad for him. I felt weak and erotically protected by him. Yet in danger from him at the same time.

So for revenge I yanked his face back down to mine by immersing both hands in his hair and pulling. And couldn't help but let my leg slowly ride up his, until he groaned and panted:

"You have to stop that. Or I'll take you right here."

I wanted him to take me. Right here. Right now. But of course we couldn't, even though, for the first time, I knew we both wanted to.

I shifted us back again, shoving him and pressing my hips against him, to teach him a lesson.

"No more slamming for you, Agent Booth, not with a bad arm." I chastised. His eyes gleamed.

"Oh baby, if you talk like that I'll…" I cut him off with a kiss to his jaw, then a lick to his earlobe.
"You'll what? I said no misbehaving. So do as I say."

"Yeah. Whatever you say. Anything." He panted, back arching and hips involuntarily shifting forward again. I lost my point completely, and my head lolled back with pleasure as his hardness brushed my thighs. Crazy, insane pleasure that he stared at me in total abandon, mouth half open in the look I now knew and recognised. And loved.

"Bones, you have no idea how much I wish I could-"

"Shh. We should really stop."

"I wish you'd stop saying that."

But he chuckled and into my neck and his hot breath tickled me.

"It's funny how I'm always the one who says it." I said reprovingly.

"Yeah. Eh, sorry about that. My self-control just crumbles when it comes to you." He grinned like a naughty child caught doing something wrong.

I slowly drew back, smiling, and checked my phone. But we hadn't missed anything, there were no calls. Waiting nervously wasn't good for 'stopping'. Not good at all. I could see the places where I'd dug my fingers into his flesh, and worse than that, I could see the wonderful, powerful body which made my partner a strong, large man. Including those broad shoulders that made me feel small.

And his pants.

Oh boy.

"I'm going to the toilet for a second." He said with raised eyebrows, putting on his shirt.

"Okay." I answered immediately, avoiding his gaze, even though I knew there was humour in his eyes. I was never, ever shy when it came to talk about sex, or masturbation, but when it came to Booth…

Oh boy.

"It's not something I do often." He added meekly.

"Okay."

There was a tense silence during which I figuratively perforated the gravel beneath my feet with just a look. And then…

"I'll be thinking about you while I do it." He growled. My head snapped up but he'd turned around and was fleeing the scene. I fell back against the car like someone had knocked the breath out of me.

Was I not allowed the same release? But someone had to stay with the phone and the computer. He was going to get punished for this some time… later.

I just stood there, using the SUV for support, breathing deeply and sobering up (I hadn't ingested alcohol, but Booth could often act like a drug). And then it happened, of course.
"Cam?" I answered shakily.

"Yes, Dr Brennan. Put us on speakerphone and turn on your computer."

I frantically pressed speaker and left my phone next to the computer. "It's already on." I said. "Talk to me, tell me what you know."

"Here's the thing." It was Hodgins. "We narrowed it down to three places that had hydrangea, chicory and nymphanea caerulea."

I wanted to throw up. "Those flowers are all blue…" I groaned, feeling my stomach tighten.

"None of them are in the area Bram could have gotten to."

"What?" I said, and my voice broke. "Are you sure…?"

"Open the next e-mail, I'm sending you a map."

I did, and saw it in my inbox. I realised what Hodgins had meant instantly. The closest possible greenhouse was an hour long drive away.

I couldn't believe it. I'd been wrong. I'd been fooled at lied to and… wrong…

"No." I said, resolve strengthening. "I wasn't wrong. It makes perfect sense, and it's the only viable explanation. We eliminated every other possibility, and this data doesn't contradict our conclusion."
"What do you mean…?" Sweets sounded further away than the other two. "Dr Brennan it's obvious Bram couldn't have gotten to a greenhouse on time…"

"It's there. It has to be there."

"It's not, Brennan!" Hodgins said.

"Wait…" Cam was saying. "Just a second. What's that?"

"Oh my God…" Sweets said.

"What's what?" I shouted. "What?" there was a gasp on the other line and I slammed my palm into the hood, making a loud banging noise. "What's happening?"

"We found it! We got it! It's closed down, that's why their website wasn't active anymore and we didn't find it before!" Cam yelled.

"Where?"

"I'm on that!" Hodgins said, sounding alive for the first time today.

"They had a problem with the gas tanks, and the place nearly blew up two years ago." Cam explained while I heard furious typing in the background. "That's the reason he's been able to keep them overnight. There's no one there. He probably planned to go to the greenhouse beforehand, in case he had to leave his place. I'll bet you anything he keeps his plants there, illegally of course, and that's where he works, how we found the pollen. Well, not work works but you know, spends his days there…"

"Got it!" Hodgins shouted, his voice shaking with emotion. Hope. Hope was bringing my friend back.

"Where, Hodgins?"

Booth was sprinting toward me.

I turned to look at the screen and see where Hodgins meant.

A red dot indicated the place where my friend was being held against her will.

I turned to see my partner, almost by my side, dried blood still on his shirt.

My head slowly went back to the screen, the weight of what I saw there settling on my shoulders.

Hodgins was speaking fast, worried sentences and Cam was shouting.

Sweets tried to stop them, to talk sense into me.

But I didn't listen. I didn't even hear.

I looked at Booth and our gazes locked.

"Booth." I said, my voice shaking. "We're two blocks away. Let's go."

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That's right baby!

It was extra-long to make up for the fact that it was extra-late. But did you like? I threw some smuff in there… sorta.

What do you think, smuff of fluff?

Or both?

I'll tell you my preference in the next chap! ;)