A/N: No notes for this one even though this in itself is a note. ;-)

Temperance felt the vibration of her cellphone on her hip as she dropped the basket of clean clothes on her son's bed. Snatching it from her pocket, she flipped it open and spoke her name.

"Hey Tempe! It's me."

Temperance stared out the door to make sure Booth wasn't around. She knew he wouldn't appreciate Ryan calling her on a week-end. She wasn't sure why her partner was actually calling but she doubted it was going to be a social call.

"Oh hey Ryan. What's up?"

"Can you work today?"

Knew it. She thought. Not a social call.

She frowned.

"Why?"

"We have a break in the Bradford case. I know who the abductor is. We're arresting him today. I have this whole team set up but I just thought you would like to come so I called you. Also, you might be needed, especially if we find Melina."

Temperance nodded even though she knew Ryan couldn't see her. She wasn't quite sure as to why she would be needed but she had a vague idea.

"Sure. How much time do I have?"

"I'll pick you up in about thirty minutes. How's that?"

"It's perfect. See you soon."

Flipping her phone shut, she took Lukas' pile of clothes out of the laundry basket and placed it neatly on the bed. She'd put it away when she'd come back. She was pretty sure this arrest thing wasn't going to last all day. She grabbed the plastic basket, walked out of the bedroom and went straight to hers.

She was surprised to find Booth laying down on their bed, eyes closed and his right arm thrown over his eyes. She smiled tenderly at the sight. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep.

She sat down on the bed and reached for his hand. She softly ran her thumb over the rough skin, debating whether or not she should wake him to tell him she was leaving in thirty minutes. After all, Parker could babysit while Booth slept. But before she even had a chance to decide, Booth opened his eyes.

"I'm awake." He said, half-asleep.

"Not for long, I'm guessing." Temperance replied, teasingly, pulling her hand away.

Booth laughed sarcastically.

"I'm leaving in thirty minutes."

Booth turned to her.

"Why? Where are you going?" He asked, sitting up.

"Ryan just called me. He said that he knows who the abductor is in the Bradford's case and we're going to arrest him... or her. He also thinks I would be needed if Melina was found alive."

Booth sighed.

"I was hoping to spend the day with you and the kids, just like we did last week-end." Booth replied, taking her hand in his. "But if you have to work, then you should go. I understand."

He kissed the inside of her palm.

"Thanks, Booth. That means a lot to me. I won't be gone for long, I promise. I'll most likely be back for dinner."

Booth yawned.

"I guess that means no nap for me, huh?"

"Sorry, but the kids need to be looked after."

"Mommy! Lukas bit me!" Riley screamed from down the stairs.

Temperance turned to her husband.

"What was I just saying?"

Booth chuckled before getting up, followed by Temperance.

Ryan prayed the neighbors wouldn't come out and watch as the FBI vans parked in front of the abductor's house. He hadn't personnally wanted a whole squad to join him, only a few men, but Cullen had insisted on a full team. Ryan had admit, though, that he did need a search party to look through the house for clues of Melina or Carl Bradford's presence. Deep down, he knew they wouldn't find any.

He turned to Temperance who was looking at the house rather nervously.

"Ready?" he asked her.

She merely nodded.

Getting out of his car, Ryan checked the house in front of him. Nobody at the windows, no lights, no mouvement inside. The house really seemed abandonned. Ryan knew better. He knew for a fact that the abductor would be here. He had a meeting.

Ryan signaled to his men to take their positions. Temperance watched as several men scattered across the yard and three others gathered behind them.

Probably to watch our backs. Temperance thought.

They climbed the front porch and Ryan knocked on the door.

"FBI! Open the door!"

He waited. Nothing. Not one sign of life. He knocked again, louder this time.

"FBI! Open the door!"

Still nothing. Grabbing his gun, he kicked the door open feriously. He stepped aside and let the three men behind them walk in first. They immediately ran up the stairs, like they had been ordered to do. Ryan followed immediately, Temperance closed behind him. She could feel her heart racing in her chest.

"Stay here." Ryan whispered to her.

And, for once in her life, Temperance obeyed without a word and stayed by the door. Above her head, she could hear the search team running in the hallway of the second floor, opening doors, looking for some sign of life.

Ryan stepped quietly into the living room. He looked around but the room was empty. He wasn't there. He tried the kitchen. Still nothing. The house was visibly empty. Why? Hadn't Bradford call his accomplice from the police station to tell him they would be meeting here today? Why wasn't he here then?

Out of curiosity, Ryan stepped to the window and looked outside. The doll had disappeared from the yard.

He left the kitchen and went back to the lobby.

"If you see or hear anything, call me." He told his partner. "I'll be upstairs."

"Still no sign of him?"

Ryan shook his head before climbing up the stairs two-by-two to the second floor. He met up with one of his men in the corridor who told him the upstairs rooms were all cleared. Ryan sighed in frustration. Where was he?

"Okay. Check the rooms for any clues that could be linked to either Melina or her brother. Anything will do: clothing, jewelry, toys, anything. Call me if you find anything."

The man nodded before barking some orders to the other men upstairs. Ryan stepped into the bedroom in front of him and walked to the window. He looked outside to see there was only one car in the driveway. Logically, there should have been two. Ryan swore. He was gone.

As his team searched the entire house, Ryan walked back down the stairs. On the last step, Ryan noticed that Temperance was gone.

She wasn't sure what Ryan was doing at the moment but she was tired of standing around doing nothing. Her legs and mind begged her for some action and, as much as she tried to fight her urges, after ten minutes, she just couldn't do it anymore. There was one area the search team hadn't searched yet and she had a feeling, a gut feeling like Booth would have put it, that the answer to their questions was there. In the basement.

She quietly walked down the stairs, the steps creaking under her feet. Her heart raced a zillions miles an hour in her chest and she could hear it in her ears. She wished she could have been carrying a gun. If the abductor was in fact down there, she would probably need one. For a second, she considered calling Ryan for back up but changed her mind.

The basement was just as quiet as the rest of the house. Temperance walked slowly, taking in her surroundings, looking for a place where Melina, or her abductor, could have been hidden. She had reasons to believe the child was in this house. Melina wasn't dead. At least not yet. She knew it. She circled the room, her hand trailing the wall, looking for some sign of a fake on. She found nothing.

The basement was cold and dark. The light she had turned on barely illuminated the whole area and some patches of them were still pretty dark. Temperance felt the hair at the base of her neck rising and she shivered. This place was creeping her out.

She caught sight of a small door at the far end of the room. The door almost looked like a dungeon one but she knew what was behind it: a cold storage room. There was usually not much space to keep a body in there but it was still worth the shot. She quickly made her way to it, sidestepping various boxes.

The handle was rusted and cold under her hand and her heart began to race faster. Above her head, she heard someone walking. Ryan? An agent? The abductor? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening the door slowly.

The room was small and as dark as the basement. She flicked on the light switch beside the door and a dim light lightened up the room. On her right, she heard a small whimper that almost sounded like a puppy. She turned her head in that direction.

The light didn't quite reach the corner of the storage room but Temperance could still make out a form. A tiny form. A tiny form sitting in the corner, head bent on its forearms. Her eyes grew wide in surprise and she immediately stepped back out of the cold room. She ran to the stairs.

"RYAN!" she called from the bottom of the stairs.

She listened intently. Nothing. She called his name again. This time, she didn't wait for an answer. She walked back to the cold room. The child was still there, slumped against the cold stone wall. Temperance slowly made her way to her.

"Melina?" she asked , softly.

The child whimpered once again. Temperance could tell the child was frightened to death. Stopping in front of her, she sat down in front of the child. Fearfully, she reached out for the child and laid her hand gently on her arm.

"It's okay, Melina. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. Everything's over. You're safe now."

Melina whimpered once more. Temperance felt the child shaking under her hand.

She heard some mouvement at the door and Temperance looked up to see Ryan staring at her.

"Call 911. We'll need an ambulance." She told him.

Ryan nodded.

The paramedics arrived fifteen minutes later and, after much resistance, Melina finally let herself be laid down on the stretcher.

As the paramedics rolled her out of the basement and brought her to the first floor, Temperance wondered when had been the last time the child had seen the light of day. Melina was pale like a ghost, due to light deprivation and poor dieting. Time in a hospital was what she was going to need.

Temperance looked outside. The sun had disappeared behind thick gray clouds. At least the sun wouldn't hurt her eyes.

She followed the paramedics outside and watched as they put Melina in the back of the ambulance. One of the men was closing the back door when something caught Temperance's attention on her left. A car. A familiar car she had seen before. Somewhere. She called Ryan, anxiously. He was at her side in a second.

The car pulled in the driveway and the partners watched as Collins and his wife gout out of the car. Collins didn't seem too surprised to see them standing on his front porch, with FBI vans and an ambulance gathered in front of his house, and calmly walked up to them. His wife, unlike him, looked frightenely around.

"What's going on?" she asked Ryan.

"You should ask that question to your husband." Ryan replied, looking at Collins.

A hand slid down to his handcuffs. He had waited so long to do this

"I don't have to answer any questions." Collins spat.

He knew the rules, he knew his rights. Most of all, he knew what was coming to him.

Ryan shook his head.

"That's too bad." Ryan replied as he climbed down the steps and reached Collins in a split second.

Taking out his handcuffs, he roughly turned Collins around with his right hand.

"James Collins, I'm putting you under arrest for the kidnapping of the Bradford children and the murders of Carl Bradford and Allison Martin."

As Ryan read him his rights, Temperance watched Collins' wife melt into tears.

See you in the last chapter:-)