IMPORTANT: This is my first ever Bones fic, and even though I've read almost all of the BoothxBones ones here, I have still only seen the show twice! So, if there are mistakes, tell me so I know what not to do later. Much thanks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, only the scotch tape holding posters to my wall.

Spoilers: None (I've only seen two episodes anyways…)

Pairing: Booth x Brennan

Chapters: Was going to be two, but can't really do that now, can I? At the moment, it'll be around four or five chapters

Last Words: Again, I have only seen two episodes and I am mostly going off of what I have read on people's stories. Don't hurt me! –hides in corner-

Chapter 5: The Sound of Sirens

Author's Note: So sorry for the delay. School is really packing it on now, so I will regrettably have to only update maybe once a week. Sorry for the delay, and thank you for coming back and continuing to read this!

Ah calm down Alyssa : )

"Booth?" Brennan's voice was weak and shaky as Booth pulled the cloth away from her mouth, but she was alive and that was all that mattered to Seeley Booth right then.

"Yeah, Bones. I'm here." He smiled warmly at her, pushing the hair from her face. She frowned at him. Even with ropes binding her ankles and wire around her wrists, she managed to look like someone you wouldn't want to mess with on a bad day.

"Don't call me that." Booth laughed lightly.

"That's my girl…" He said softly. Booth sat down on the ground behind Temperance and studied the wire wrapped around her thin wrists. The soft skin beneath was raw, and the left was bleeding. Brennan was a true fighter, all the way to the end. Booth reached out and touched the wire, pulling it a bit to try and find an end. Tempe's hands jerked at the rub of wire on torn skin. Booth grimaced as he sat back on his heels.

"This is going to hurt." Booth warned. He took a pocket knife out of his jacket and opened it. Gingerly sliding it under a piece of wire he sawed upwards, trying to break the wire while keeping the pain meter down on Brennan's side. She winced as the wire snapped against her skin, a small welt forming where the end had hit her.

"Sh, it's okay. It's all going to be okay." Booth said in a soothing voice, surprised at how easy it was to do with Brennan. He unwrapped the wire from around her hands and Brennan moved her arms from behind her back to where she could see them. It wasn't a pleasant sight.

Raw bands of skin circled her wrists where the wire had sat, and blood was slowly oozing out of an open wound on her left wrist. Booth took the piece of cloth that had been around her mouth and dipped in a small puddle of clear rain water that had been captured in a leaf. He squeezed the excess moisture off and gently wrapped it around the left wrist. Then Booth ripped a strip of the hem of his already ruined shirt off and repeated the process, tying it on the other wrist. A tiny, almost inaudible whimper sounded in her throat, and Booth looked up to see small tears gathering at the corner of her brilliant green eyes, though her face remained as calm and stoic as ever. Brennan was trying to be strong, to hold it all in. But Booth could see the carefully constructed walls Temperance had built around herself for so long were finally beginning to crack, their unstable foundation slowly breaking. She had made no complaint as she fell into the icy river, no cries for help when she was stuck in the web of scratching branches, no sound of pain when the giant tree hit her and sent her careening back down the river. But, what Booth didn't know was that it wasn't the pain that had cracked her foundation.

"It's okay to cry, Bones." Booth cut the rope around her ankles and took a hand in his. He looked from her hand to her face, where her eyes were searching his for something. "You don't have to be strong all of the time. Even, well, even anthropologists with superpowers need to let it out sometimes." That earned him a small smile. Brennan looked down at the hand Booth held in his own. The soothing motion of his thumb against the back of her scratched hand seemed to have a calming effect on her mind. Temperance took a shaky breath and the tears disappeared from her eyes. Booth continued to rub his thumb in circles on her hand as Brennan collected herself.

"Thank you." She whispered. Booth gave her a small smile. Secretly, though, he was a bit disappointed that he had not gotten the opportunity to comfort her. He wanted to hold her, to feel her small body in his arms, but he needed an excuse, and what better than tears? But Temperance Brennan did not cry easily.

A chill wind whipped through the trees, and Brennan hugged her knees close to her chest, searching for warmth. Booth looked at her, assessing the wear and tear the elements had put upon her clothes. Her green tank top was wet and it clung tightly to her small frame. A few small tears were on the back, Booth didn't know about the front. The long black jacket Brennan was wearing earlier that morning had been lost to the river, and her jeans were wet and torn with mud all over them. Brennan seemed to be in pain as she kept herself curled up in a ball.

"Bones? What is it?" Booth leaned forward; worried that it was something more than her wrists. But what else could it be? He was able to see almost all of her, except her front since she was still curled up.

"Nothing." She whispered in a strained voice.

"Bones…" Booth warned.

"Just cold." Brennan offered. Booth wasn't convinced, but it was hard to argue, and win, with Brennan, even in this condition. Booth removed his jacket and draped it around her shaking shoulders. The shivering seemed to decrease some, but Brennan's face was still tight. She pulled the jacket all the way around her till all you could see was her head, hands, and feet.

"We need to get back and find out who did this to you." Booth's voice was hard, revenge on his mind. She nodded and tried to stand. Booth was up in a flash and helped her to her feet. Thank god her shoes had been able to hold on to her toes… Brennan stumbled immediately, still numb and stiff from being tied up. Booth caught her around the waist as she fell forward. He felt his arm press into her stomach and she made an indistinguishable sound in her throat, and as Booth pulled his arm away from her torso, he could see the unmistakable rust color of blood on his white shirt.

"Sit." He ordered. A hole was ripped across the front of her shirt in a diagonal line just to he left of her navel. The green shirt was stained a dark red around the hole where the cut had been made. Booth slowly raised the hem of Brennan's shirt until he could see the entire wound, among multiple bruises.

It appeared that someone had stabbed Brennan then dragged the knife across her stomach. The cut wasn't too deep, a pocketknife could have done it, but Booth didn't know how long ago Brennan had been stabbed. It shouldn't have been very long, since the wound was still bleeding despite the temperature.

"How long have you been here?" Booth gently ran his fingers around the cut. Her skin was soft and cool, and Brennan shivered at his touch, sending goose bumps up and down her arms. Booth automatically pulled her towards him, wrapping the jacket around her even tighter. He kept a strong hand over the cut on her stomach to keep the blood flow to a minimum. She couldn't afford to lose anymore blood, or body heat for that matter. Brennan went stiff as a board when he first touched her and pulled her to his chest, but she welcomed the warmth and allowed herself to be held, relaxing in his arms.

"I don't know." Her voice was soft, and Booth swore he sensed some fear creeping out as well. Brennan quickly retold her journey from the river to the pool and from the lightning to the tree root. Booth mentally kicked himself when she started talking about the lightning. It had been Brennan across the river! He should have known, should have stayed with her instead of listening to Joe Arcult.

"Arcult." Booth growled, the image of the overly helpful man materializing in his mind.

"Who?" Temperance asked, clearly oblivious to the fact that the very man who had been leading the rescue team was on Booth's hit list at the moment.

"The guy with the megaphone."

"What about him?" Booth's face was pensive.

"Do you remember anything from when you were lying in the pool? Anybody come by?" Booth questioned. Brennan's eyes widened in realization as the memories came crawling back to her.

"Yes! Someone was there. He took me out of the pool and whispered something in my ear. Then I heard something snap and my stomach began to sting." Brennan remembered. Booth grimaced at this new information.

"What did his voice sound like? Do you remember what he said?"

"I don't remember what he said, but he had an accent. Maybe southern, and he sounded kind of old. A young grandfather, perhaps? Yes, I'm pretty sure it was a southern accent." Brennan said. Booth's suspicious of Arcult had found a foundation.

"It was Arcult who cut you. I don't know exactly what he planned on doing, but I bet it wasn't good. He was probably going to leaved you here to die or come back later and finish the job." Booth pieced together some parts of the puzzle. "But I just don't know why…"

"The body by the river." Brennan guessed. Realization sparked in Booth's eyes. Of course!

"I bet. Now, let's get back and see if we can find a medical kit. You need some looking over." Booth stood, Temperance still held in his arms. He liked how the 'we' sounded as it rolled off his tongue… Brennan started to protest, but Booth wouldn't hear any of it. "Last time I let you out of my sight, you were gone. I blinked and a tree took you. I can't concentrate on the path and you at the same time, but if I hold you, at least I know you're still here and something won't tear you away from me again."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much." Brennan objected, missing the meaning behind Booth's words. Booth rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Let's see… you've been stabbed by a murderer, hit by a tree, almost fried by lightning, and thrown down a crazy river in the freezing rain. No way in hell am I letting you walk. You're just too much of an attraction for all things bad and dangerous today, Bones." Brennan and Booth were still arguing by the time they reached the edge of the pool.

"Stop." Brennan commanded with such authority in her voice that Booth stopped arguing and stood at attention, ready to salute if the woman in his arms commanded.

"How do you know the others on the rescue team aren't with Arcult?" Booth hesitated for a minute, seeing the logic in Brennan's statement. The crew seemed to get along like good pals; maybe it was a group effort. They certainly had enough men and muscle to pull it off, as well as good cover. Who would suspect a crew of rescue workers to work under their supervisor, a murderer?

"Can you stand?" Booth asked. Brennan gave him a look; one of her patented ones that made the unfortunate recipient feel dumber than a square wheel. "Uh, right." Booth laughed nervously. He set her down on the ground carefully, watching her closely for any sign of fainting, collapsing, et cetera. Brennan crossed her arms over her chest as Booth watched her, the black coat over her shoulders adding an almost sinister effect.

"No I'm not going to fall over, yes I'm fine, and are you just going to stand there like an idiot or are you going to do something about the situation?" Booth was a bit surprised. Sarcasm? Brennan? That was unexpected. He reached over to her and cleanly plucked his phone from the inside pocket. Somehow, it had survived the day with just a crack on the display screen.

"Hello? Yes, Agent Seeley Booth. I'm going to need backup at the Floodwater River passage, south of Washington. Questionable characters under the guise of a rescue squad are camped about two hundred yards north of the backwater pool." Booth talked a little more with the person on the other end, going over the more specific aspects of the call for backup. He hung up and turned back to Brennan.

"What's the plan?" Brennan spoke up. Booth sighed and ran a hand through his already mussed hair.

"Well, Bones, we're going up to the camp and staying out of sight while watching for any suspicious activity in the campsite. Backup should be there soon. The FBI has a special branch around here because of the suspicious activity that always happens around these woods." Booth informed her.

"Where's the headquarters out here? I didn't see any big buildings on our way in." Brennan asked him. Booth winked at her.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." He joked. Brennan cocked an eyebrow.

"That's the CIA." She said plainly. Booth resisted the urge to scratch his head. How is it that Bones knew that? She shook her head and began to limp towards him, passing him and quietly making her way around the pool. Never complaining of the pain, not saying anything as she stumbled over the uneven ground on a bad knee, and not even waiting for him to catch up. Booth whistled to himself.

'Now there goes one strong woman.' He thought.

Brennan ignored the pain in her knee and torso and thought back to where Booth had found her. It had been the first time in a long time she had come so close to crying. She had felt the lump in her throat and the burn in her eyes, and that was something that hadn't happened in a long time. He probably thought it was from the pain, but no. The care and concern he showed her, the gentleness with which he handled her, and the kindness his eyes held when he spoke to her. The little things she had gone so long without. Brennan had forgotten how nice it felt to be cared for. She had always taken care of herself. She held a small squeak in her throat as a pair of strong arms found their way around her and she was hoisted into the air like a rag doll.

"You really think that just because I let you stand, I'm going to let you walk?" Brennan almost laughed as Booth hugged her close, enjoying the attention once again. "With your luck today, and my misfortune, the ground will probably open up and swallow you." This time, Brennan did laugh. Booth smiled at the delicate sound. "Keep your hand over your stomach so the blood will clot. It's still bleeding, even with the cold air." The trees on the other side of the pool closed in around them as Booth slipped through the foliage. "Sh." He warned. The sounds of men laughing reached Brennan's alert ears as they moved forward, quietly treading over the wet leaves and gingerly stepping around twigs and branches. Brennan felt Booth grow tenser and tenser as the sounds grew. Finally, they reached the edge of the wood and could see into the camp.

All of the men were gathered in a circle playing cards, save Joe Arcult. The aging man was anxiously pacing back and forth, thinking about Brennan much like Booth had been doing earlier. But, one's thoughts had been loving and worried, while the other's were cruel and nervous. He kept a hand on his hip, an odd shape visible beneath hand and jacket. The driver, Anthony, looked up.

"Oh c'mon, Joe. No need to worry about the FBI guy. He's just looking for his girl. Now come play cards with us." Anthony laughed. Arcult gave what appeared to be a weary smile.

"I jus' don't want to have ta look for him, too, if he gets lost. Bad enough that we can't find the poor girl out there. Lucky for her the weather cleared, though." Arcult managed to look worried, but not for all the right reasons.

"The river's been a fierce one this season, Joe. No need to beat yourself up over her if she don't make it. It's just nature taking what it needs here and there." Randy Medder pointed out. Another one of the men agreed. Arcult smiled at his friend.

"Thank ye for tryin' to cheer me up there, Randy. But as a rescuer, it's my duty to make sure people are safe. If I can't save a pretty little thing like that from a river, than what good am I?" Booth snorted something like 'bullshit,' but Brennan smacked him silently to shut him up. Booth parted his lips to mouth something back at her, but she gave him an urgent and meaningful look as she jerked her head towards camp.

Arcult was now walking around the clearing, inspecting the shadows closely. Brennan hissed something that resembled the words 'you idiot,' and Booth didn't argue. She was right, again. Booth looked around for somewhere to hide. There was nothing. They were stuck behind their twin trees in the presence of a talented actor and killer.

"What was that about?" Grafton questioned Arcult as he walked back to the men's circle.

"Jus' checking for somethin'." Arcult dismissed further explanation with a wave of his hand and a toothy grin. "Now, who's winnin'? Don't want to be rootin' for the wrong player, now, do I?"

The bark of the tree poked painfully into Booth's back as he kept himself pressed against the tree as tight as possible. There had been no time to hide, so he had grabbed Brennan and pinned himself to the trees with her on top of him. The small nook that the two touching trees created had been enough to house most of Booth, and he had held Brennan tight against his chest, her back to him, with one arm snug around her waist and over the wound. When the two heard Arcult retreat back to the card players, they held their position for a little longer. Brennan would argue that it was for safety precautions, but she couldn't deny herself the fact that she like the closeness more than she should have, the proximity comforting rather than awkward. Booth would say that he was just making sure that Arcult hadn't seen them and he was keeping Brennan safe, but he really did enjoy the way her back was nestled in his chest so perfectly and how it had felt so right to hold her there.

Sirens floated down the road and reached the camp. Arcult jumped and resumed his nervous pacing, the hand flying to the odd shape at his hip once more. The men all joked about the "extra help" that had been specially ordered for them. Arcult frowned and moved to the cab of the large truck, slipping into the driver's seat and sitting there, waiting for something. Brennan stepped away from Booth, still staying hidden. She peeked around the tree and glanced out to see what the men were doing. Booth found that he missed her already.

So, did you like that chapter? A lot longer than usual, just for the week that I left all of you hanging. I'm not sure if I got that CIA thing right, it was just a tidbit I thought of when I wrote it, so sorry about that if I screwed up the funnyness that was supposed to come with it. As always, reviews are inspiring and often speed up the writing process. Plus, if anyone wants to put in some opinion on whether Arcult should have accomplice people in his group, then feel free to say so. Till next time, Ash.