A/N: thanks for all the nice reviews. And now, the plot thickens...

The jovial mood from just a few minutes earlier quickly evaporated into an awkward silence as Deputy Director Hacker entered Angela's office. Wearing an artificial smile, he tried to be nonchalant as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I...er...I was in the neighborhood...and I wanted to check on Dr. Brennan. I'd heard she'd had a nasty fall recently. Dr. Hodgins said she was visiting Ms. Montenegro's office…and so she is." He glanced at Booth with disdain. "I'm somewhat surprised to see you here, Agent…shouldn't you be at work? Especially with the incident that occurred over at the Esplanade this morning?"

"I've been here consulting with Dr. Brennan about another important case..." Standing straight, Booth squared his shoulders and stepped into Hacker's personal space, arching his eyebrow slightly at the man in an unspoken challenge. "Anyway, I'm the Special Agent in Charge of my division, and according to Director Cullen, I get to come and go as I please…especially since my collaboration with Dr. Brennan always produces excellent results. In fact, it was his idea for me to come over to see her today." Knowing that his point had been made, he smirked as he turned and sat down close to Brennan, patting her knee before he leaned back on the sofa and ever so casually put his arm around her shoulders. "Besides, me and her are good friends...we like to spend time together even when we aren't working, you know? We're close...that's why we work so well together."

"Yes, of course...I know that...and you're right. You have a great record." Apparently disconcerted by Booth's somewhat menacing demeanor, Hacker cleared his throat slightly as he turned towards Brennan. "So, Temperance...how are you feeling?"

"I'm still rather uncomfortable, but I've been gradually improving over the last few days." She held up her cast for him to see. "I sustained a broken wrist, two cracked ribs, and several bruises when I fell, but for the most part, I'm much better. Considering the steepness of the staircase where I fell, I feel fortunate that my injuries were not much worse." Sensing Booth's increasing tension as he sat next to her, she decided not to mention her miscarriage. "Has there been any progress in finding the man who kidnapped me? An agent interviewed me while I was in the hospital, and I gave her an extensive, very detailed description of my attacker. I assume that's why you're here, correct? You've come to give me an update on your success…" Seeing Hacker cringe, she gazed at him intently. "Or perhaps a lack thereof..."

"Um...I'll have to check on that aspect of the case, Temperance. I'm uncertain about where that investigation stands, but believe me, we've been hard at work over the last few days trying to apprehend the suspect." Hacker shifted nervously from one foot to the other. "Well, um...I see that you're busy…so..." He was interrupted by his phone ringing. "Hacker...yeah, Sam...oh no! Really? Gonsalves, too? God, that's too bad!" Heaving a sigh, he nodded. "Okay, I'll get there as soon as I can."

Seeing Hacker's shocked expression as he ended the call, Booth exhaled slowly. "Bad news, huh?"

"A second agent has died from the wounds he suffered in this morning's incident…" Shaking his head, the Deputy Director stared at his phone, muttering to himself. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way...no one was supposed to get hurt…"

"So two people are dead and you're calling it an 'incident'?" Throwing up her hands in anger, Angela was livid as she rose from the computer. "What is wrong with you? Those men gave their lives to protect Dr. Brennan and me, and you act like it's no big deal!"

Booth held up his hand to interrupt her outburst before turning to Hacker with a low growl. "It was Dick Vorstenbach, wasn't it? He's the one who grabbed Bones, right? You knew he'd come after her so he could get to me, but you did nothing to warn her...nothing to ensure her safety. You just let her be the bait! Hell, you warned off Sweets and he didn't even let her know I was alive, right? She was a sitting duck, even with that lousy security detail you'd assigned to her!"

Seeing Hacker flinch, Booth stepped closer. "Vorstenbach is the reason she was injured in the first place, okay? She fell trying to get away from that bastard!" Springing from the chair, he took hold of the Deputy Director's arm. "Thank God we found her before anything worse happened! She might've bled to death if that maintenance guy hadn't happened to find her in that abandoned building! And now...now Vorstenbach shows up at the apartment building where she's supposed to be resting after her surgery? You're goddamned lucky that nothing happened to these women, although I'd say the lives of those two agents are on your head…"

Closing his eyes, Booth willed himself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, he glared at Hacker, poking the taller man's chest with his index finger. "We need to get some protection for Dr. Brennan immediately! You know Vorstenbach's MO, right? He'll come after her so he can lure me in...and that's why he was at the Esplanade this morning, right? Someone leaked the news that Bones was going to be there, and Vorstenbach showed up trying to get to her again...and he ended up killing two federal agents instead!" Booth grabbed Hacker's arm, hoping to shake some sense into the man. "You were in fucking RICO, Hacker! You must know who could've contacted Vorstenbach to tell him she was there! You must know who had the balls to call him...and you know he's gonna try again! That son of a bitch isn't gonna give up until I'm dead..."

"I...I can't comment on the identity of our suspect, Booth…not without more probable cause." Pulling his arm from Booth's grasp, Hacker shook his head. "I have to go to the hospital. Cullen needs me. We'll talk soon…be careful." He turned and strode quickly out of the office, much to Booth's frustration.

"I knew it!" Clenching his fists, Booth cursed loudly as he watched Hacker leave. "Son of a bitch! He's in on it…he's gotta be the leak. Hacker's the one giving The Council and the Persians the info on me. Did you see the look on his face when I called him out on it? He's gotta be the one who let Vorstenbach know where you two would be after you left the hospital...one of the agents on the security detail at the hospital must've called him, and Hacker relayed the message to the hit man."

"But you don't have enough evidence to prove that yet, Booth." Brennan patted the sofa cushion next to where she was sitting. "Come sit down…you'll think better once you're calm."

"No…I'm too steamed...I gotta walk it off." Booth waved off her suggestion. "...but you're right. I can't prove anything yet, but my gut is telling me that he's the goddamn rat. You saw how nervous he was when I pushed him for details. He couldn't wait to get out of here." He scratched the back of his neck as he paced the room. "I gotta think this problem through for a minute."

The women watched in silence as he walked back and forth. Finally he turned to them, speaking rapidly as he laid out the situation. "Okay, so here's the deal. You two can't stay here forever, but I don't think you two can go back to Angela's apartment right now, either. It's too risky, especially since we don't know exactly where Vorstenbach is at the moment. Angela, do you have someone you can stay with for a couple of days?"

Nodding, the artist smirked at Booth. "I'm sure I can find someone who'd be willing to take me in for a while. Maybe I'll ask Hodgins...I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company."

"Great. I'm sure you can give him some sort of convincing reason other than Vorstenbach being on the loose, right? And someone may be looking out for your car, so ask him to give you a ride, too, okay?" Seeing that Angela understood, he turned to Brennan. "Bones, you're staying with me at my place…"

"No, I'm not...why would I?" Her brow furrowed as she rose from the couch, bristling with annoyance at his suggestion. "My apartment would be much more practical and also safer, since my building has 24 hour security for its tenants. Besides, Vorstenbach knows where you live, doesn't he, Booth? He could show up there any time with a weapon of some sort..."

"He might, but we don't know for sure if he knows where your apartment is, but if he doesn't know, then we don't need to show him where you might be any more than we have to, okay? Plus, I don't want you staying by yourself...not right now." Seeing her angry glare, he explained his reasoning. "You know I won't be able to concentrate on stopping Vorstenbach unless I know exactly where you are at all times. I don't want to worry about you while I'm going after him. Besides, if I'm at my apartment, I have the advantage of knowing where everything is in the dark, okay? It's my home turf, and I'm gonna be a lot more comfortable there if someone tries to get in, as opposed to all the unknowns at your place."

"But your building is older, Booth. Does it even have an alarm system?," Brennan asked in an irritated tone. "It seems as if it would be easy to break into…especially for a determined hit man. Remember what happened with the Gravedigger? She was able to kidnap you..."

He grimaced slightly at that thought. "Yeah, but I think she must've had help somehow, and then add the fact that she caught me totally by surprise and drugged me before hauling my ass out of there. I'm expecting Vorstenbach to show up, so it's a completely different situation. The liquor store has an alarm, but the building being old is what helps it be safer, believe it or not." Seeing her questioning look, he continued. "Okay, say that Vorstenback tries to come up on that rusty fire escape. If he does, we'll hear him because it squeaks so bad if someone tries to lower the ladder. If he comes down the hallway towards my door, even if he's treading lightly, I'll know it by the way the floorboards creak under his steps." He nodded resolutely. "I've also turned my bedroom closet into sort of a panic room. I replaced the old flimsy door with a heavy wooden one that has a heavy duty lock and a deadbolt on the inside, so if we had to, we could hide in there and call for help. I mean, it's not bulletproof, but it would be a helluva lot better than the old hollow core one that used to be there." He eyed Brennan thoughtfully. "Now all I have to do is think about how we can get you out of here without being seen…and I've almost got that figured out..."

"I could just take the elevator down to the Jeffersonian's parking garage, get into your car and we could drive away…" Brennan sighed as Booth shook his head at her. "The lab is a very safe environment…"

"Yeah, under normal conditions, maybe the lab is safe while you're in your office...but I'd be willing to bet that our pal Dickie has this place under surveillance somehow, just waiting for an opportunity to catch us off guard so he can nab you." He turned to Angela. "Hey, call me a cab before you leave with Hodgins, will ya? Have them meet me at the back entrance of the parking garage in thirty minutes. I've got to go check on something in my SUV. If I'm not back in ten minutes, call Sam Cullen, okay? Tell him to come looking for me." Seeing Brennan's horrified expression, he gave her a kiss before he moved toward the door. "Don't worry...I'll be fine...but can't be too careful, okay? Be back soon..."

Watching him leave, Brennan turned to Angela in frustration. "Maybe he should ask what I think instead of telling me what to do!" Flustered at Booth's overtly alpha male display, she grunted in disgust as she sat down again. "I can take care of myself…"

"Sweetie, let me give you some advice, okay?" Angela plopped down next to Brennan and patted her knee. "Every once in a while, you've got to let Booth do what he thinks is best for you, even if it rubs you the wrong way. You know he respects how intelligent and independent you are, right?"

"Yes, of course, but…"

"And he loves you…more than his own life. He wants to protect you at all costs." Seeing Brennan's faint blush, Angela chuckled. "As an anthropologist, you must know that as an alpha male, he's going to be extremely territorial about his mate, even if it drives his mate crazy. Now, I agree that sometimes you should tell him to back down if he's being overprotective. However, with Vorstenbach being such a big bad dude, I think you need to just go with the flow on this one. Between Booth's Ranger training and his experience as an FBI agent, I think you can trust that he knows what he's doing. In fact, I can't think of anyone who'd be better at protecting you."

"You're probably correct." Brennan sighed softly. "It probably is best to rely on Booth's expertise in this matter." Glancing at her friend, she wore a sly smile. "Perhaps we'll have to find an appropriate method to pass the time while we wait for Vorstenbach to make his move."

"That sounds like a good idea, as long as you don't distract Booth too much." Giggling, Angela raised an eyebrow at Brennan. "As long as he's waited for you two to be on the same page, once things get going, he won't stop for anything…not even a hit man..."

"I certainly hope not!," Brennan laughed.

"What's so funny?" A disgruntled Booth stood in the doorway with his go bag. "There's a vicious killer on the loose and you two are giggling like a couple of silly teenage girls…"

"I'm sorry. We were just trying to relieve our stress, I suppose." Brennan made an effort to look suitably contrite. "Never mind, Booth. It was a private moment between myself and Angela. Why do you have your duffel bag?"

"What I have in here is how we're getting you out of the Jeffersonian." He pulled out a sweatshirt and a ball cap. "Here…" He handed her the shirt. "Put this on…"

Studying Brennan as Angela helped her pull the bulky sweatshirt over her head, he inhaled sharply. Even though it was bulky, Brennan's gorgeous curves were still obvious, and his mind quickly went in another direction.

Brennan coughed softly. "Did you hear me, Booth?"

"Huh?"

"I can't get the sleeve over my cast." She held up her arm. "It won't go all the way through."

"Well, just put your left arm through the sleeve and put your right arm under the shirt like this." He helped her fold her arm against her chest before tucking the sleeve in. "And then let's have Angela button my dress shirt over the top...like an extra layer. It's kinda wonky, but I guess that'll have to do. Here, let me help you put your hair up under this cap…" After a few minutes of work, he stepped back and shrugged. "What do you think, Angela?"

Pursing her lips the artist studied her friend. "Well, it's fairly obvious that this is a woman, but with her hair hidden like that, it's not so obvious that it's Bren." She turned to Booth. "What about you? Do you have another disguise in there?"

"Just some jeans, a tee shirt, sunglasses and a windbreaker, but it'll do in a pinch. When Hacker saw me earlier I was wearing this gray suit, so that's what Vorstenbach will be looking for." He tried to smile. "I'll go change and then we'll make a run for it. You called the cab, right?"

"It should be here in ten minutes."

"Okay, good. Be right back." Giving her a thumbs up, Booth made a dash to the mens' restroom down the hall.

Angela reached out to take Brennan's hand. "Well, Sweetie, it may be a few days before I talk to you, so be careful…take care of yourself and Booth, too..."

"I will, thanks..." Brennan was interrupted by Booth's return.

He patted the pistol in the holster under his windbreaker and zipped up the jacket, turning up it's collar before pulling a stocking cap down low on his forehead. As a final touch, he carefully adjusted the pair of sunglasses across the bridge of his nose. "Ready, Bones? Do you need anything from your office? It may be awhile until you can return..."

She thought for a minute before shaking her head. "I don't need anything. I'm ready to go."

"Okay, so we're going to act casual, alright? No chatter...we're just walking quietly over to the elevator and then take it down to the parking garage. We won't speak to anyone...we won't do anything to call attention to ourselves, okay? I'm going to leave my SUV parked here, and we're gonna take the cab to my apartment and lie low there for a couple of days. I'll call Cullen when we get there and let him know what's going on." Hesitating slightly, he turned to Angela. "So…"

"Yeah...I know." She smiled sadly as she gave her friend a hug. "I don't know where you two are...not even for Hodgins. Just take care of yourself and Brennan, okay?"

"You got it...and thanks. Be careful, Angela." Turning to Brennan, he put his hand on her back. Let's go, Bones."

Seeing her nod, he took a deep breath as they left Angela's office, hoping his plan would work and they'd be able to dodge Dick Vorstenbach for a few more days.

Pausing as they watched the numbers light up over the elevator door, Booth sent up a quick prayer, not knowing what danger was awaiting them once he and Bones left the relative safety of the Jeffersonian's parking garage.

Please, Lord, let us make it to my apartment without any trouble...please...