If there were an award for the best reviewers, you guys would totally win. A huge thank you to each and every one of you. And I hate to disappoint but unfortunately this will not be the world's biggest chapter despite your MANY requests for one. Sorry. But enjoy!

P.S. Congrats on breaking the 300 mark!

Disclaimer: Never, ever, ever will be mine. Just borrowing.


Ch. 14 – Damned Damsel

Brennan's breathing was heavy in his ear as Booth silently crept up the small slope towards the barn. His own breathing was even and inaudible but his heart was pounding in his ears. He skirted around the edge of one corner of the barn towards the open door that spilled a pool of yellow light out onto the bare patch of grass outside. Crouching down so that he would be harder to see, Booth crawled forward. Shaking away the image of a defenseless Bones just waiting for something to happen, he continued to move forward. Brennan's breath was harshly uneven in his ear. Something was wrong. Reaching the edge of the doorframe, Booth quickly peeked his head around the corner and then pulled it back.

The sight within made his blood run cold. Brennan was standing unsteadily in the center of the room, her cuffed hands pulled up behind her back near the base of her neck. The chain attached to her cuffs reached up into the dark depths of the rafters and then descended back down into Charlie's hands. Booth knew that the position would be unbelievably uncomfortable, even painful in Brennan's condition, but that it would reach a whole new level of agony if the chain was pulled again. Leaning his head against the rough wood at his back, he stared unseeingly at the vista of stars above him as he concocted a plan.

Brennan was wavering on her feet. She couldn't remember how long she'd been in this horrible barn. It felt like weeks. Her escapades in the fraternity house could have been years ago. All she wanted to do was free her arms and then curl up in a small ball and sleep. But she resisted the urges of her body, ignored the pain coursing through the nerves of her arms and glared at Charlie who was standing near the wall wearing a smile that verged on the psychotic. The bastard was enjoying every second of this. His gaze connected with hers and his smile widened as he slowly pulled the chain downwards.

Her arms moved slowly upwards until the pain became too much and Brennan was forced to cry out. As she did so, Charlie laughed maniacally.

The cry of pain Brennan had uttered penetrated through the wall and pierced Booth's soul. The laughter that followed fueled his fury. He cocked his gun and stalked into the barn.

Brennan had closed her eyes against the pain, attempting to block out the sight of Charlie with sick glee in his eyes. His laughter filled her ears and she felt darkness approaching her. Was she going to pass out? Struggling against her body's reaction to everything she'd suffered, she barely heard the sharp retort of the gun but she recognized that Charlie's laughter had morphed into cries of pain. Simultaneously, her arms fell back down towards the small of her back, the heavy chain now weighing them down. Forcing her eyes open, she watched disbelievingly as Booth approached Charlie, his gun still aimed at the man. As Booth pulled his handcuffs out, Brennan collapsed to her knees and stared vacantly at the two men, tears seeping out of the corner of her eyes.

Having cuffed the sick bastard to one of the beams that supported the hayloft, Booth resisted the urge to pummel him into the ground and instead snatched up his keys that had fallen to the ground. He flipped through them until he found a small silver key that he knew would unclasp the cuffs that bound Brennan.

He hurried across the floor towards his partner who didn't quite seem to see him. Crouching down behind her, he undid the handcuffs. She absently moved her hands around to rest on her lap, her gaze still distant. Booth walked around her and crouched down so that they were face to face. She stared at him, her face disbelieving and said nothing. He was suddenly desperately afraid that the trauma she had suffered had damaged her in a way that he couldn't fix.

"Bones?" he asked softly, his voice cracking as he reached out with one finger and gently stroked her jaw.

Her eyes suddenly snapped to life and focused on to him.

"Booth!" she exclaimed as she forcefully threw herself at him, her arms going about his neck. Knocked off balance, Booth sat down on the cool cement floor of the barn, holding his now sobbing partner in his embrace. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Her tears seeped through the fabric of his t-shirt, wetting his skin, but he barely noticed. She was here, she was alive, and she was with him. He released a deep breath and then chuckled roughly when he heard the distant whine of a siren.

"The cavalry is coming," he whispered near Brennan's ear.

"Booth, I hate to disappoint you but the majority of cavalry units in Virginia disbanded in approximately 1865," Brennan said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

His chest rumbled with laughter, "That's my girl."

"Booth…"

"Don't argue with me, Bones. You've had to fight enough tonight. We can fight later. Just let it go."

"I wasn't going to argue."

"Really?" Booth said pulling back slightly and quirking an eyebrow at the woman in his lap.

"Really. I was just going to say that I don't feel like having Chinese food tonight."

"Where did that come from?"

"Well, you said we'd go back to being Bones and Booth after this and seeing as we've caught the bad guy the next logical step would be Chinese food but I'm not really that hungry right now."

Booth smiled and then pulled Brennan back towards him.

"I'm glad you're… here," he said roughly, moisture pricking the backs of his eyes.

"Me too," Brennan whispered.

They clung silently to each other for a long moment until the flashing red and blue lights were visible between the boards of the walls. Squeezing Brennan once more, Booth pulled back and stood up. She attempted to do the same but collapsed back on the ground, weariness suddenly apparent in her every pore. Without saying a word, Booth reached down and placing one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back lifted her up off the ground.

"Booth! Put me down!" she protested but exhaustion was evident in her voice.

"What did I say about arguing?" Booth shot back lightly.

"I am not some damned damsel-in-distress for you to cart off to your noble steed."

"Ok, first of all, you have never been anything close to a damsel-in-distress. A woman with a propensity for getting into trouble would more accurately describe you. Second, I do not own a horse. They're not typically amongst the standard-issue equipment the FBI offers. I am carting you off to the paramedics, whom I imagine Clark sent along with the back-up team. And I know you won't argue that you don't need medical attention."

Brennan gave no other response than resting her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"Good girl," he murmured as he strode out into the open air.

"Agent Booth!" a young agent shouted, practically running to him.

"Hang on a minute," Booth cut him off, "I'm taking her to the medics, then we can talk."

The agent shut his mouth slowly and nodded, pointing towards the white and red ambulance behind the circle of FBI Suburbans. Booth approached the two men in white who had pulled out a folding gurney. Setting Brennan down on it, he briefly conferred with the men and then turned to his partner.

"Bones?"

She turned to face him, her eyes slightly glazed but aware, "Hmm?"

"I have to go talk to some people but these guys are going to check you over and see how you're doing. I'll be right over there," he said and pointed to a point just inside the semi-circle of Suburbans where two agents were now escorting Charlie towards a vehicle, his left wrist still bleeding from where Booth had shot him.

"Ok," she said tiredly, weaving back and forth as she sat.

"Ok," he said, smiling at her and then turning back to the young agent who had tagged along after them.

"What's up, Agent…?"

"Norton," the young man supplied, peering questioningly around Booth to stare at Brennan.

"What's up, Agent Norton?" Booth repeated.

"I was just wondering who you're sending with Dr. Brennan to debrief her, because I'd be very willing…"

"No one is debriefing Dr. Brennan tonight," Booth cut off Norton.

"But sir," the younger agent protested.

"No buts, Norton. Dr. Brennan has been through hell tonight. She can barely form a coherent sentence at the moment and you want to debrief her? Where's your sensitivity, man?" Booth barked harshly, glaring at the agent who wilted under his gaze.

"Agent Booth?" one of the paramedics said as he approached.

"Yes?" Booth said as he turned, worry suddenly creasing his brow.

"We want to take her to the hospital for more thorough testing, make sure she didn't break any bones and that there's no internal bleeding from her beating."

Booth nodded and then walked back towards his partner who was now lying down on the gurney.

"Bones?" he said gently.

"Yeah," she replied, her blue-green eyes staring back up at him.

"The paramedics are going to take you to the hospital."

"They told me," Brennan said, her eyes sliding closed. "Are you coming with me?"

"I would but they need to debrief me back at FBI headquarters. I'll make sure Angela meets you there and takes you home, ok?"

"'Kay," Brennan replied sleepily.

"I'll see you later, Temperance," Booth said, as he went back towards Agent Norton.

"Booth?" she called out behind him, causing him to turn.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I… said goodbye."

"Yeah. I'll let it slip. This time."

Brennan smiled as the paramedics lifted her up into the back of the ambulance. She was still smiling at him when they closed the doors.


Brennan sipped the coffee that Angela had brought her, ignoring the shooting pain lifting her arm caused her. She was seated on a large white hospital bed, clad in a hospital gown.

"Remind me what we're waiting for again?" Angela asked tiredly from her seat next to her best friend.

"The MRI and X-ray results. I don't know why they did X-rays. I could have told them that I don't have any broken bones."

"Sweetie, you did tell them. And me. In fact, you told me that you merely had cuts on your wrists, a scratch on your head, and multiple bruises and contusions all over your body. Plus very sore arms. But otherwise you're fine."

"I am fine," Brennan shot back fiercely, the caffeine having giving her a new rush of energy, which she greatly appreciated.

"I'd have to concur," a new female voice chimed in from the doorway.

"Dr. Cochrane," Brennan said, issuing a sigh of relief at the sight of the woman in the white lab coat.

"Both your MRI and X-rays came back clean. You're free to go home, Dr. Brennan. Although I would prefer if you didn't drive for a few days until the muscles in your arms aren't so sore."

"Thank you, doctor," Angela said, standing up and grabbing the bag of clothes she had brought with her. "C'mon, sweetie, you can sleep at my place tonight. Or at least for what's left of tonight," Angela amended after glancing at her watch.

Reaching for the bag, Brennan tugged at the zipper, removed a shirt, and pulled it on. When her head emerged, she said, "Actually, Ange, I was hoping you could do me one more favor tonight."


Booth stretched as he stood up from his chair, his back audibly popping. Deputy Director Cullen had finished personally debriefing him over an hour and a half ago but he'd returned to his office to begin his official written report, too wired to return home. He also knew that if he tried to go to sleep now his dreams would be haunted by the images of Brennan hanging from her wrists by a chain in that barn. Staring at his watch he blearily followed its hands as they moved closer towards four a.m. It was definitely time to go home. Cullen had given him the next two days off and he planned to use them.

Grabbing his jacket that he'd hung on the back of his chair, Booth flipped off the lights and closed the door to his office. Walking through the maze of cubicles he strode down the hallway and then stopped abruptly a few feet from the elevator. He blinked slowly to assure himself that his eyes weren't deceiving him.

"Hey Booth," Brennan said, rising from her seat on the bench near the elevator and walking towards him.


Ok, so I'm addicted to writing cliffhangers but this one isn't THAT evil. So did you love it, hate it, feel ambivalent towards it? Do want to make suggestions like Zach and Jack should spitballs at Clark until he dies? To do any or all of the above, you know the drill.