Finally, we get to our next chapter. Real life can be a booger. In our last chapter we left Jessica and Aubrey locked in a storage closet, where they had a very unpleasant surprise. Read on to find out what happens next.

This chapter is T but there is some rough language and the mention of adult themes.

"Is this what I think it is?" Jessica held up the bag with the icy colored stones.

Taking it from her, Aubrey carefully opened it and looked inside. "It sure is. Well, we found the drugs…"

"That's not all, Aubrey." Jessica held up the motherboard and other computer parts. "I found both of these in different stones. I think that's why the stones felt lighter than normal ones. Someone was smuggling these things into the US using the stones."

"Yeah...I think you're right." Aubrey nodded in agreement. "Come on, let's go find Booth and Dr. B."

"Well...what do we have here?" Craig giggled softly. "Looks like we've caught some rats in our trap."

The couple turned around to see Craig Stephenson, Warden Brinton, Josip and another man holding a gun.

"Hello again, Agent Aubrey.", Brinton said with a smile. "Fancy meeting you here."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Wait, Agent Aubrey?" A stunned Craig turned to Brinton. "You mean...are you saying that Jimmy is..."

"He's Phil's son, James. You know, the kid who works for the FBI? How did you not recognize him, Craig? Didn't you see him a couple of times before Phil went to Croatia?" Brinton tipped his head to one side, staring at Aubrey's face. "Interesting mustache, by the way…"

"How the fuck am I supposed to recognize someone I knew as a scrawny assed kid?" Craig barked. "I ignore children as much as possible because they're so annoying."

Wait...I've met Craig before this case? How could I forget that I knew this son of a bitch? Aubrey thought for a minute but he drew a blank until he saw the man rub his fingernails against his chest. That's a weird habit...who does that? His mind flashed back to a day over twenty years ago. "Wait...now I remember when it was. You had a meeting with my father at our penthouse one evening. You greeted my mom before she showed you to his study, You two shook hands, and then you rubbed your nails across your shirt...like you couldn't handle being touched or something. After you entered the study, my dad locked the door and you spent a couple of hours in there arguing over something."

Clearly surprised, Craig smirked uncomfortably. "I'm impressed, Agent Aubrey."

Aubrey laughed sarcastically, "As I recall, you used to have a moustache and beard...along with more hair on top and thirty less pounds. Might want to stop eating the donuts, Craig."

A thin skinned Craig snarled at the insult. "I've matured, James...something you obviously hadn't done."

"Yeah, I also remember the time Dad told Mom you were a self righteous Canook asshole."

Irritated, Craig ignored Aubrey's comment, stepping closer to Jessica and glaring at her. "Who is she, then?"

"She's Jessica Warren, intern to Dr. Temperance Brennan at the Jeffersonian...and also Agent Aubrey's girlfriend.", Jessica said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. "When we get out of here, I'm busting your ass for breaking into my room, you old pervert."

Pointing at Aubrey, Craig groaned in disgust. "So...you teased me and played hard to get because you were spreading your legs for this stick?"

"No, I didn't play hard to get, Mr. Stephenson. I just was never interested in you." Jessica caught Craig's angry grunt but didn't care anymore. "As for your crude suggestion, in terms you would understand, I spread my legs for Aubrey because he's my lover and I've never had to fake an orgasm with him like Sandra always does with you so you'll keep giving her drugs and money."

"You little bitch." Before she could move away, Craig grabbed her arm and twisted it hard. Aubrey jumped in and knocked him down, ignoring the gun cocked at him. "Get your fucking hands off her, you bastard, or the next time you try something it will be your last time."

"Aubrey…", Jessica began, seeing how close the gun was to his chest. "It's okay…"

Not happy with how easily he fell to the floor, Craig stood up and straightened his sweater. "Watch yourself, James, or next time it's Miss Jessica that will have a hole in her chest. You may be a hotshot FBI agent, but I call the shots around here. Don't forget it."

The couple saw Josip's face darkened with anger but he said nothing for the time being. Realizing people were talking out in the hall, they listened silently until Craig motioned for them to sit down on the small bench that formerly held curling stones. Doing as instructed, Aubrey felt his phone buzzing and knew it was Booth trying to find him. He looked at Jessica and gave her a silent signal before buying his friend some time to find them.

"Good afternoon, Warden…didn't expect to see you today. How's your wife?"

"Why don't you ask me yourself? I'm right here, Agent Aubrey." Nancy walked into the room and stood with her hands on her hips. "Now why did you feel you had to fool us with this bizarre disguise?"

"I don't know…it could be because your husband and his friends are corrupt bastards.", Aubrey deadpanned before pulling it off his lip. "Ouch."

"Don't toss it away, Aubrey. You promised you would keep that so we could play with it in bed.", Jessica replied, satisfied to see Stephenson's eyes narrow.

"Well, I can always get us another one, Jess. An even better one." Aubrey turned to the warden's wife. "I have to say, Mrs. Brinton. I didn't expect you to be a part of this scheme."

"Agent Aubrey…" Brinton put his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Nancy is my partner in everything. Just as it seems, your young lady is…"

Nancy quickly interrupted her husband's chatter. "I resent the implication you've made, young man. Larry has worked hard for the BOP, but he was not being appreciated by the government for his exemplary service. He was frustrated and felt hopeless."

Nancy's comment was interrupted when the second Croatian returned with Philip, who was muttering angrily. "I'm tired of all these interruptions, damn it. I have things to do…James, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Hi, Dad.", Aubrey retorted. "Lookin' good. Anything new going on?"

"You shouldn't be here, Son." Philip shook his head in irritation. "You were always too curious for your own good."

"What can I say? It makes me an awesome FBI Agent."

Nancy chimed in. "As I was saying, my husband was not being appreciated and I wanted to help him. I knew he was acquainted with my cousin Andrea from college, so I talked to her about his work issues. The next day, she and her friends brought Larry into the group and helped us in return for his assistance in other important matters."

Aubrey nodded in realization. "The workers at the arena…"

"Until our friends built this place and brought curling here about 25 years ago, all they had was WVU's football team. Curling is an amazing sport and these people could use the culture and new experiences. Of course, college students were always so unreliable as workers, which caused Andrea, Alex, and John to lose money due to turnover. It costs money to train new people.", Brinton said. "These prisoners committed crimes, damn it! Why shouldn't they give back to the community?"

"And your friends could save money on the taxes and payroll by paying what they made at the prison?", Jessica replied.

"Hey, I did these men a favor by letting them leave Hazelton and then giving them skills to prepare them for life outside of prison.", Brinton huffed. "It's not like they're slaves…"

"But you didn't have minor criminals at your facility, Warden.", Aubrey said quietly. "You used gang members and people who should not have been outside the prison walls. You weren't being a good person. You were simply greedy."

"We are not greedy people, Agent Aubrey.", Nancy shot back.

Jessica pointed her finger at Nancy. "Yes you are, Mrs. Brinton. You got your children college educations with blood money, a custom made bedroom set for your daughter, a fancy vacation house in North Carolina...and in return you just had to sell out. That's pathetic."

Aubrey chuckled at the woman's speechlessness before turning to her husband. "You both were greedy and took advantage of your position, Warden. You had a good game going because the prisoners knew if they complained, they would be put in Administrative Segregation and the few privileges they had would be taken away until they worked as your slaves. Do they help you sell the drugs, too?"

"Young man, I would be quiet if I were you.", Nancy warned.

"Tell me, how do you know Aubrey's dad?", Jessica asked Brinton as she pointed to Philip. "You two are obviously buddies, and that's not typical of a warden and a prisoner."

"Phil and I met at Baruch College and had several successful business ventures together after graduation, including starting CEP. Of course, he had to push it with his Wall Street scheme, but we just moved CEP's main headquarters to Croatia." Craig smiled. "Phil was an idiot to come back for the money he had hidden here in the US."

"It was my money!"

"No, it was your client's money that you stole!", Aubrey hollered back.

"Boys, this isn't the time." Craig gave the agent a condescending smile. "I told him to stay away from you but he couldn't help himself and it got him into trouble. However, I salvaged the situation."

"You arranged for his dad to be transferred to Hazelton, didn't you?", Jessica asked. "Then Warden Brinton gives him free rein to run that CEP from prison."

Stephenson nodded. "You're a clever girl, Jessica. Yes, I knew Larry could help us, so after making arrangements with Josip, John called Senator Thoms, who used his connections with the Bureau of Prisons to get your father sent to Hazelton. Frankly, Phil being close by has been an advantage, especially now that we have a few of our Croatian friends also at Hazelton."

"Gee, Dad...you have so many 'good' friends…"

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated, James, but Larry has been a good friend to me. You could learn a thing or two from him.", Philip said. "Unlike my high and mighty son, he doesn't look down on me because he's a Fed."

Aubrey couldn't hold back the sarcasm. "Gee, so now I'm high and mighty because I'm not a criminal like you. I guess I'm moving up in the world, right?"

"Shut that smart mouth of yours, James Robert. You may get away with talking like that to her…" Philip pointed to Jessica, "...but I'm still your father, damn it."

"Go to Hell, Dad. Maybe when you deserve respect, I'll give it to you."

"You were always a pain in the ass, just like your mother was…"

Just then Sandra's phone buzzed by where the intern was sitting and Craig looked to Brinton. "Take her phone and get rid of it."

When the warden grabbed it and put it in his pocket, Stephenson smiled at their prisoners. "So, the question is…what the hell do we do with you two?"

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Uneasy with the situation, Booth answered his phone as he looked around to make sure he was alone. "Booth...hey, Genny...there are reinforcements here? I'm glad to hear that, because Jessica and Aubrey are missing...yeah, I tried calling him and got no answer, so he's in trouble...I'm sure Jessica is with him...yeah, we're going to need all the help we can get. What did you find out about Alma? Yeah, not surprised...what?"

Booth stopped talking when he saw Josip and his friends separate. "Both of us? Well, then that bastard is going to regret that. Listen, we'll keep you posted, Genny. Keep monitoring everything from your end. Bye."

Booth came back to the team from searching outside as Brennan returned from the different lanes. "Have you seen Jimmy? He's not answering his phone."

"No, and I still can't find Jessie, either." Remaining in character as she grew concerned, Brennan turned to Jessica's three teammates. "Have you seen my niece or our friend?"

"I don't know where Jessica went." Lori bumped into Sandra, who nodded as the two hid their smiles.

Sandra shrugged innocently. "Yeah, no idea. Maybe she choked at the thought of going onstage to get her stupid award."

Booth was immediately suspicious. "My Jessie doesn't choke over something simple like going onstage."

Before Alma could say anything, one of the judges walked up to the group. "Folks, where's Ms. Gordon?"

Lori came forward to offer an explanation. "She took off somewhere. I'm Lori Stewart, and I'll be more than happy to accept the trophy for MVP—you know, just in case she can't make it..."

"No, unless there is a true emergency, she has to accept the award herself, and we can't present the prizes for the winning teams without your team leader present. Where is your manager…" He looked at the team's roster. "Craig Stephenson?"

"He's looking for Jessica.", Sandra chimed in. "I'm sure he'll be fine if we start things without him."

"Ladies, no manager, no prize. You find him and Ms. Gordon in thirty minutes or your team forfeits."

As the judge walked away, Sandra pulled Lori to the side and whispered quietly. "Maybe we should tell them what we did? I don't want to get in trouble and maybe lose my job."

"Hell, no. That bitch needs to be taught a lesson, and I still have a chance with Jimmy."

Sandra shook her head. "Lori, give it a rest. He bluntly said he wasn't interested and he's looking for her right now. Why are you wasting your time on him anyway?"

"Because he's mine! Let him look for her. If he can't see what I can offer, I'm not going to make it easy for him to find that Jessica cunt."

"Excuse me? What did you say about my niece?"

The two women turned around and were greeted by an angry man, his equally angry wife, and an angry skip. "What?", Lori stammered. "We were just joking around…"

The skip glared at Lori, shaking her finger as she spoke her mind. "Young lady, you've been nasty to Jessica all day today and what you just called her is completely unnecessary and disgusting. Jimmy was interested in Jessica before the bonspiel and still is, no matter how much you throw yourself at him. Now I'm sorry that you're disappointed, but you need to stop this foolishness."

Lori pouted. "Alma, I don't know where Jessica went and I don't care about Jimmy—"

Playing a hunch, Brennan got her phone out and dialed a number. Suddenly, 'Hot Blooded' began to play from Lori's pocket, making Booth and Brennan even more suspicious. "Where is she, Lori?"

The fury in Booth's eyes unnerved the young woman. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Buck."

"That song is the ringtone Jessie uses on her phone for me and my husband.", Brennan said in her normal voice. "Give us the phone and then tell us where she is."

"Hey, why does your voice sound different, Wanda?", Sandra asked in surprise.

Booth pulled out his badge and flashed it at the three. "Because I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI. This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Jimmy and Jessica are Special Agent James Aubrey and Jessica Warren, my wife's intern. The fact that an agent and an FBI contractor have gone missing is something I don't take lightly. Now, one more time, I need the truth so they don't get hurt..."

Lori hesitated. "You're just punking me. No way you're cops."

Brennan stood nose to nose with the brunette. "Tell us were Aubrey and Jessica are, young lady, or my husband will arrest you for obstruction. If they die because of your lie, you will also be charged as an accomplice to murder."

Lori hesitated, but Sandra grabbed the phone from Lori's pocket and handed it to Brennan as Booth's phone rang. Seeing Aubrey's name, Booth moved to answer only to hear a foreign man's voice.

"What to do with them? We kill them, Stephenson. We have millions on this exchange."

"Aubrey must have buttock dialed you by mistake.", Brennan stated.

"Where are they?", Booth barked to the two young women.

"The storage room by the restrooms. Lori and I locked her in there to teach her a lesson in stealing our men. We didn't know that…", Sandra trailed off.

"Bones, here's a number Genny gave me for our backup agents. Call them while I go to find Aubrey and Jessica."

"Booth-"

"Bones, please stay here and get help." Booth briskly walked away to avoid raising suspicions.

Brennan was scared, but made the call. Seeing the agents wave to her, she hung up as Alma was berating the young women.

"What the hell is the matter with you two? Locking her in a storage room so she can't accept an award. How old are you two, five?"

"But Alma, she's stole Jimmy from me…"

"Plus, she's been sniffing after Craig all weekend…"

"Enough." Alma looked at Sandra, then Lori. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves, acting like children. Sandra, I know you don't want to hear this, but Craig only flirted with you to get the scoop from the IRS because your father works there."

"We've done more than flirt, Alma. Last night, we had an amazing threesome with a guy from another curling team. Craig didn't lay idle, either. He and Tom really got it on together."

Sandra's comment struck a nerve with Alma. "You're a liar. Craig isn't into men and I'm the one he wants."

Sandra barked back. "If he was so into you, then why was he letting Tom suck his dick and fuck him? Craig was really enjoying himself, Alma-"

"Enough of that!" Alma was shaken but concentrated on Lori. "..and you. You were so determined to get that man to notice you that you...how old are you?"

"Old enough to appreciate a man like Jimmy. Jessica wasn't interested until I wanted him-"

"Doesn't matter because he wanted her, not you. You made a fool of yourself."

"That bitch-"

"Young lady that's enough!", Brennan growled, silencing Lori. "You're supposed to be twenty years old but you're acting like my toddler son. My eight year old daughter has more maturity than you right now."

"I-"

"If my intern, or her mate are harmed because of your prank, you will regret it.", Brennan said very calmly, scaring the hell out of Lori.

"I didn't know…"

"I don't want to hear anything out of you right now, young lady. Not another word until one of the agents takes your statement."

"What?" Lori was shocked. "I didn't do anything-"

Alma walked up with her arms crossed. "You harassed your teammate at a company function to the point she may be in physical harm. That's grounds for termination, young lady."

"Sandra helped me!"

"You rat!"

"Don't worry, you two. You will both be dealt with when we get home." Alma turned around. "As will I."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"What?", Philip yelled angrily. "You can't kill my kid!"

"Yeah, we can." Craig saw his friend hesitate. "Hey, don't suddenly act all sentimental on me, Phil. You ditched your wife and that little shit when we got you out of the country 20 years ago, so don't act all fatherly now. We have too much riding on this deal for these two to fuck it up."

"I don't care what you do with her! Shoot her, fuck her, whatever." Philip pointed his finger at Jessica. "But you're not killing my boy, Feeb or not."

Craig pointed his finger at the prisoner. "I don't know what your problem is, Phil, but you need to get over it."

"I see you boys need to take care of business. I'll just go back to my seat." Nancy walked out and shut the large door behind her.

Philip grew very scared. "Josip...let's talk about this…"

The man snarled angrily in Croatian as he waved at the prisoners. "Philip, I'm losing patience with you. Either shut up or go back to work."

Phillip saw Josip's partner point the gun at Aubrey and Jessica, his son moving to shield his girlfriend from the bullet meant to kill them. Before he realized what he was doing, the older man jumped into the path of the projectile, catching it right in his chest. Falling backwards with a groan, he knocked Aubrey and Jessica into a large pile of curling stones, causing the intern to hit her head on one of them, and rendering her unconscious.

Aubrey had the wind knocked out of him, panting heavily and trying to shake off the intense pain in his back from his landing before realizing his overweight father was lying on him and bleeding onto his pants. Pushing the man away, he turned to his girlfriend, who was moaning quietly. "Jess…Jessica! Wake up, Honey."

"Let her sleep. It'll make it easier for her, Agent. I would have preferred to give her a good time with Uncle Craig, but the little slut forced my hand." Craig turned to the gunman. "Finish them off. I have an award to collect."

"We have to get to the computers ready since Philip got stupid over his kid." Josip turned to his assistant and nodded towards Brinton. No words being spoken, the silent man walked over and put the gun in Warden Brinton's hand.

"What is this?"

"Take care of it."

The warden shook his head before pushing the gun back towards Josip. "No way. I'm pissed off at the government for fucking me over, but no way do I kill people."

"I understand." Josip walked over to the warden and pointed another gun at his head. "Now, you understand. This isn't your government's democracy. When I give an order, you do it or you die."

Sweat beading on his forehead, Brinton stammered as he turned to his old friend. "Craig…"

"Larry, surely you didn't think your hands weren't going to ever get dirty?" Craig walked up to the warden and put his hands in his pockets. "Now this operation requires everyone to make sacrifices to keep things running smoothly. Phil made sacrifices until he had his sudden burst of sentimentality over his brat son. Now, take care of his mess and you will be rewarded."

Brinton looked at Aubrey, who was working his way out from under his gravely injured father while trying to bring Jessica around. "I don't know…he's a federal agent…"

"A federal agent who will turn you in. You want to go to jail? They'll put your ass in Hazelton, Larry, and all you worked for will be gone. Your pension…Josh and Miranda's college educations…their futures…all gone. You want that?"

"No." Brinton held the gun. "I'll take care of it."

"You're doing the right thing, Larry." Craig put his hand on Brinton's shoulder. "Now, after you take care of these two and Phil, come join us out in the VIP section as my team gets their award."

"Wait, the girl?" Brinton looked over at her as she groaned softly. "How are you going to explain where she is when it's time for the MVP award?"

"Jessica Gordon had a sudden family emergency and had to leave, so I'll accept on her behalf."

"Is that Agent Booth here? What about his wife?"

"Josip has people looking for them and they'll be taken care of. When we get home, Alma will be taken care of in the next couple of weeks, and then things will get back to normal. You, my friend, will then be in charge of finding the man to take over CEP. You are needed but if you don't stop him and his slut, then that won't happen."

The CFO joined the Croatians and they left the room, shutting the door. They headed down the long hallway and turned left towards the arena.

"Brinton is a liability, Stephenson.", Josip stated flatly.

"I agree. I'll call Ivan. If his wife pushes things, Andrea will make sure she understands." Craig grabbed his phone and typed a message. "We also need to find that Buck and Wanda. I want that mullet haired ape in pieces."

"I have men looking as we speak." Josip stopped Craig. "Just so there are no misunderstandings, Stephenson, I call the shots, as you Americans call it."

Craig saw the man's fury and backed down. "Of course, Josip. I was trying to put Philip's asshole son in his place, that's all. I know that this is your operation."

Josip was satisfied by the man's stammering. "Good. Remember that. Now get your awards and then we can finish this operation. The new shipment is dependent on how the exchange goes."

As they disappeared around the corner, Booth came out from the other hallway. Before progressing further, the agent sent a quick text to his wife.

CS & Croatians looking for us. Be on your toes.

Hearing a struggle, Booth pulled his sidearm and crept down the hall as quickly and quietly as possible, praying that he would get to his friend and his wife's intern in time. Hearing two gunshots, he raced the rest of the way down, busted the door open, and was shocked at what he saw.

"Mother of God…"

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Twenty minutes later, a triumphant Craig Stephenson stood on the edge of the platform as the judge announced Jessica's name before trotting upstage to accept the MVP award. Taking the trophy, he held it high in the air and looked out at everyone. Not seeing Buck or Wanda, he smiled at the thought that Josip and his friends had found them and taken care of them.

'Poor Jessica...I would have loved to enjoy her in my suite tonight...but she had to be a Feeb. It was too bad we had to get rid of her. At least I saved some money on that hit I ordered for that Jimmy and Buck.' Craig pondered further. 'Phil's son is still skinny. Of course, the last time I saw him James was what...eight? Nine? Oh well, that pain in the ass is now out of the way.'

He was surprised when he looked over at the VIP section and his friends were not there. 'Where are they? Andrea, Todd, John, and Alex were there before I had to take care of those two, right? Well, Andrea is probably pickling her liver with more wine while Todd cleans her up. Alex can't stand it when I'm better than him, and John's counting his next dollar, the cheap bastard. I'll see them later when this operation is completed.'

Looking to his right, he saw his team waiting for the medal presentation with the others. However, each member seemed to be irritated, but he blew it off as irritation over losing 1st place.

'I still can't believe we lost to a bunch of strippers, but we beat Alex and his little shits.' Craig looked around until he saw his sex buddy Tom smirking back at him. 'I can't believe that little bastard works with Josip. Since we now work together, obviously we'll see each other again. I'm looking forward to him and that gorgeous body of his touching mine...oh my God, what the hell is wrong with me?'

Disgusted by his last thought, it was quickly forgotten as he noticed the crowd watching him. Being admired by others was important to the CFO, especially if it was at the expense of his cousin. They were business partners, but also rivals, and today he had triumphed.

'They are watching me! I am the best!' Craig smiled before beginning his speech. "I'm accepting this for Ms. Gordon, who had to leave for a last minute emergency. Let's keep her in our thoughts and prayers, shall we?"

He waited for a moment to make his point, then continued. "Ms. Gordon has been a wonderful addition to not only our company but also to our curling team. She is the epitome of what curling is all about...sportsmanship."

The CFO felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck when he saw three men and one woman approach the stage area from all directions and watch him. "...Curling is an underappreciated sport, but if the excitement that we've seen here this weekend is any indication, my esteemed colleagues here at Histavark knew what they were doing when we began building this arena back in 1993…"

Craig trailed off again when he saw Booth, now without his mullet, walk down the middle aisle up to the stage. Beads of sweat began to fall down his face as he tried to continue his speech. "On behalf of Jess…"

Booth took advantage of the man's shock and walked towards the stage left stairs while the other agents had their hands on the sidearms. "It's over, Craig."

"No...no, it's not over!"

Craig ran in the opposite direction but was stopped by two of the agents and tackled. After he was cuffed, he was roughly lifted up only to face Booth.

"Oh, yeah...it's over, Craigie."

Booth took the man and led the agents through the stunned crowd. As they made their way out through the concession stand area, two paramedics wheeled a gurney out towards the exit.

Craig immediately recognized who was being transported and grew pale. However, he kept his cool. "I have friends in high places, Agent Booth. They'll get out of this farce and then you'll be lucky to be cleaning bathrooms by the time my friends and I get done with you and Phil's bratty son."

I think that would be you cleaning the prison bathrooms, Craigie.", Booth said, pausing as the room grew eerily silent when two more attendants wheeled another gurney carrying a black body bag down the hall and out the door. "As for your friends, I don't think they will be much help to you."

Looking where Booth indicated, Craig saw Andrea Clark, her husband, John Higgins, and his cousin Alex handcuffed standing with other FBI agents having their rights read to them. The man shuddered before putting on a false bravado. "We'll get out of this, Agent. You'll see…"

Booth found a nearby agent. "Get this piece of shit out of here."

As Craig was being led out of the arena, Aubrey sat with Jessica at a table as a paramedic examined the laceration on her head.

"Yeah, you need stitches, ma'am." The woman moved her finger up and down. "Are you dizzy, nauseous, headache?"

"I do feel like I'm in a fog…I think I really got my bell rung." Jessica groaned as she felt queasy. "I do feel nauseous."

The paramedic checked her blood pressure. "Your blood pressure is 86 over 52."

"The low blood pressure is probably because I bled a lot up here. I've got a small concussion, but I'm fine…"

"No, you're not Jessica.", Aubrey admonished gently.

"You will probably be kept overnight for observation." The woman stood up. "We can transport you whenever you're ready."

"No ambulance.", Jessica muttered quietly as she tried ignoring the headache she had. "I can just have my boyfriend watch over me tonight-"

"I'll drive her over in one of the FBI vehicles. It's right by the university, right?" When the paramedic confirmed it, Aubrey stood up and held his hand out. "Come on, Jess. Let's get you checked out. I'll call your brothers on the way."

"Aubrey, they hover-I hate that!"

"Yeah, they hover because they love you. Anyway, they should find out what happened from you before it all goes public." Aubrey gave her his puppy dog look. "Come on, Jess. I'll feel better after the doctor looks at you."

As the couple debated, Booth walked up to them. "Has anyone spoken to you two yet?"

"No, not yet." Aubrey sighed. "We're heading to the hospital."

"Okay, I'll let Bones and Dingell know what's going on. Get on over there and we'll see you later."

Booth opened the door for Aubrey to lead Jessica out as the agent in question found him. "Hey Brian. I know it's been a while but I would have preferred to meet up over a couple of beers."

"No shit." He saw Aubrey and Jessica get into an SUV with another agent. "Hell of a day…how are they?"

"She's pretty shook up and has a nasty cut on her head, but all things considered, it could have been a lot worse. You're debriefing them at the hospital?"

"Yeah, when Ms. Warren gets settled. It's just a formality." Dingell shut his pad and shrugged as he looked around the room. "The goddamn Croatians bailed before we could get them. There's an APB out on that Josip and others, but they've probably got a thirty minute head start."

"We'll get them." Booth sighed as he looked around the hallway. "I'm gonna bust their balls big time…"

"No, Booth...you're not." Dingell crossed his arms over his chest. "Josip Drakulic and Ivan Horvat, as well as their friends, are cultural attaches from the Croatian Embassy."

Booth realized what his fellow agent was saying. "Diplomatic Immunity? Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. The US also doesn't have no extradition treaty with that country."

"Great." Booth growled. "The Croatian mafia is all over that government."

Dingell gestured toward the members of the Histavark group, who were being led out by the FBI. "Yeah, but right now we have those jokers for attempted murder, lavery, tax fraud, and drug trafficking and smuggling with the computer shit we found in those rocks. Getting these fuckers is a victory, Booth."

"Yeah, it is." Booth shoved his hands in his pockets, acknowledging what they did accomplish. He was angry that the Croatians may get away with what they did in the US, but the law was the law. However, maybe it wouldn't hurt to give Alex a call when they got back to DC.

"Unless you want to take them back to DC now, we can transport them to Clarksburg to begin their interrogations."

"Aubrey is with Jessica for a while, so let's get started and see what we can find out before taking them back. Separate them and we'll start with Stephenson's buddies." Booth saw Brennan sans wig walking up to them. "I'll see you there."

As the agent walked away, Brennan arrived next to her husband. "Booth, how are Jessica and Aubrey?"

"Heading to the hospital to get Jessica checked out."

Brennan didn't answer, only shakily exhaled. "Booth…what I'm feeling is so illogical..."

The agent grabbed his wife and held her tenderly. "They're going to be okay, Bones."

"Aubrey is an excellent agent and Jessica is very capable of defending herself. However, I find myself worried about both of them." Brennan looked off in the distance. "Ms. Warren because she was forced to use deadly force, and Aubrey because his father was exposed to be a very dangerous criminal. If Ms. Warren hadn't done what she did…"

"Bones, don't go there. I know you don't believe, but someone was looking out for them-"

Brennan let go and looked at her husband in frustration. "Booth, there is no 'God' or spiritual being that controls a person's fate-"

Booth's hands went up to stop the lecture. "Bones, say what you will, but I believe it, okay? I've seen too much to believe otherwise."

Booth took her hand as they saw Alma, Sandra, and Lori being led out by another agent. "Come on, let's go see Aubrey and Jessica. When she's settled in, we have to drive up to Clarksburg and talk to those bastards."

"Closure?"

Booth hugged his wife one more time. "Yeah, closure...for Louis Vacchio...for Genny and Hunter...for Aubrey and me...and also for Trooper Reedson."

"Yes, I think closure is a proper fitting term."

Brennan took her husband's hand and they walked out of Mountain View Arena.

No, this isn't the end of the story...just a place to take a breather. Michelle and Laura have more in store for our readers.