Chapter: 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Bones… this would defiantly be an episode if I owned both shows.

"Who are you?" was Arthur's response to the question, squinting his eyes in genuine confusion both at the woman and his surroundings. Where in the name of the Gods are we? he thought to himself as he sat all the way up.

The woman's head went back in surprise at that response.

He actually looks confused, scared almost, Brennan thought and looked around. They all do. Why would actors be confused or afraid? Didn't they expect this? Perhaps they are not actors. Maybe they are thieves, spies even, that would explain the authentic swords. Weapons to threat people with. That is it they are trying to steal files.

"I know what you are doing here," she stated straight-faced confidently.

"Great maybe you can tell us," Gwaine sarcastically quipped from where he was holding Cam.

"Hey! …Cut the sarcasm," Booth commanded with a humorless smile and squinting his eyes as he tilted his head to right then straightened it again. Gwaine only scowled in return.

They do not appear to be emissaries, she said as she looked around and frowned, the momentarily confidence vanishing as soon as it appeared. No, that wouldn't make sense. Why would spies disguise themselves as knights by using actual chainmail and weapons, somehow hide in stone carvings of themselves, and wait until said stone carvings are cracked open in order to get into the Jeffersonian. That's beyond insane…then again maybe I am heading there.

She looked at the group in the medieval attire up by the slabs. But who are they then?

"I command you to tell me who you are," a man's voice broke Brennan's concentration. She looked towards Gwaine who was shouting at Booth and Hodgins.

"Come on buddy, why don't you just put the sword down," Hodgins said with a nervous smile, motioning with outstretched hands towards the ground.

Gwaine gripped onto Cam tighter, causing her to let out a gasp from the sudden jolt to her person.

"Let. Her. Go," Booth growled out, anger filling his features.

Brennan turned back towards the small group and found that the four where now all standing and staring at her. The other three's swords were now sheathed, though they were still on hand for the knights to use. The one in the center, the young man with short blonde hair, was looking her directly in the eyes. He gave off a sense of unexplained nobleness, as though he was in charge just by breathing. The way his shoulders were pulled back, the way his held was held high even though he had just been laying down for hours on end. It was the way the elders of one of the South American jungle tribes Brennan has visited would behave. You could see it in his frown, the authoritative frown an employer would give an employee. The corners of his sparkling blue eyes creased with worry after seeing the situation he and his comrades had gotten into.

This man was the leader of the group.

"Please," Brennan whispered and somehow his tentative stare on her became more intense. "Please, stop this."

She held her bleeding hand and looked at him from the stairs that led onto the platform. He stared back, seeming to contemplate the situation. After what felt like an entire minute of the knight, Booth and Hodgins arguing in the background, the blonde man spoke.

"Gwaine, stand down," Arthur commanded, looking towards his knight.

Neither party looked at the group of newly awaken people to the side but both wore looks of confusion.

"But-" Gwaine began to oppose, still not loosening his gripe on the sword.

"Gwaine!" Arthur yelled, turning to look in Brennan's eyes. He squinted and tilted his head at her, looking as though he was trying to figure out her entire being. With a shake of his head he looked back at Booth and Gwaine, his mouth going into a thin line at what he saw.

Brennan, lowering her eyebrows in confusion, turned around to see what was happening with her friends, her eyes widening as she did.

Before her Booth was pinning the man dressed as a knight to the ground, one knee digging into his back and the other on the concrete floor. His right forearm was pressed against the back of the man's neck, forcing the knight's face to be smothered against the hard ground. In Booth's other hand he held the gun against the center of the long haired man's back. The sword skidded under a nearby desk from being kicked away by Hodgins as Cam was helped off the ground by Angela.

"Booth," Brennan said softly looking at the man pinning the other man to the floor. Booth didn't look up until Brennan said his name once more with force, "Booth."

Booth's head jerked up, eyebrows raised and questioning eyes wide open. His lips fixated into a line of seriousness. He kept his position, holding the knight down, and gun pointed at the man's back.

"Bones," Booth said wearily, his body tense as he immobilized the knight.

"Get off of him," Brennan said looking him with a look of accepted defeat, crossing her arms in the process, turning her palm to face the ceiling as it over crossed her other arm so no blood would get on her lab coat. It didn't really matter anyways, the wound was clotting quickly. "What?" Booth said turning his head to the left in surprise, yet still not moving. "Didn't you see what this guy did to Cam?"

He nudged his head backwards in the air, motioning towards the artist and the scientist in the corner of the room. Cam didn't look to bad, she took in a few deep breaths, but she seemed well enough, barely even shake by the experience.

When she noticed the eyes on her she gave a reassuring, half- hearted smile as she sat down in a metal desk chair.

"Booth," Brennan said softly, calmly as she returned her gaze to him and him the same with her. They were not going to get any answers through hostile situations. She looked into his eyes pleading, "Trust me."

He looked up at her, face blank from expression, then down at the gun in his hands. With a long, drawn out sigh he twisted his neck around, letting his head wobble from side to side as he slowly removed his hold of the knight. While he holstered his gun, stepped off the ground and allowed the man to stand, he let out in a raspy breath of confusion and slight annoyance, "Ah, fine Bones."

Gwaine picked himself off the ground slowly. The sudden jerk had caused the sharp pain to return, especially when the sorcerer had pushed his face into the strange stone floor. He rubbed the back of his neck as he glowered towards the man who was putting the strange magical metal in what appeared to be a form of a scabbard.

Then he sent a wary, questioning look towards Arthur, silently asking what he should do. Arthur in the same manor sent Gwaine a look that said, back down, but be cautious. Gwaine pursed his lips, with a small glance towards the heavy glare the FBI agent was sending him, and gave a nod of understanding towards his king.

"Are you okay?" Brennan asked Cam straight-faced. She in response gave the same reassuring smile she sent Booth, though her breathing had steadied so the grin was more believable.

Gwaine looked towards the woman who was now sitting down in an iron chair and a pain of guilt shot through him. She might have been a sorcerer or even just working with them, but Gwaine still did not approve of threatening women. Shamefully he tried to look away only to meet Booth's spiteful glare, which only caused Gwaine to retaliate with a look of bold intimidation. He might feel bad for the woman, but he sure the heck didn't care for this man.

"Gwaine," Arthur spoke out in a low, authoritative command, causing the knight to snap to attention and look towards his companions. From the look Arthur was giving him, Gwaine knew what he wanted. Sending one final, wary glare towards Booth, Gwaine slowly backed towards the platform and up the stairs till he was standing next to his friends. Once the long haired man was standing in between the giant and the curly blonde haired knights, Brennan spoke.

"Now then," she started, arms crossed, as she turned to face the wide-eyed party, the men's swords lowered to their sides but hands still clasped around the leather handles. She felt the vibrations of Booth's footsteps as he came up behind her. She could practically feel the protective, intimidation radiating from scowl on her partner's face behind her.

"Who are you?" she stated the question with a sense of command, though her eyes gave off a sense of probing, searching for the answers which seemed to be jumbled up and already confusing without even knowing what they are.

The man in the center, the one with short blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, looked her right in the eyes with the same incisive look. He was trying to figure out the same thing she was.

"The question is," he stated confidently, taking a small step forward, his men tensing behind him as he did. He kept his arms to his sides as he spoke, though his gloved fists balled up. His shining sword, now covered in its leather casement on his belt, remained untouched by the hand next to it.

"Who are you?" he repeated her question with a straight face and a tad of emphasized malice on each word, but that is when both Booth and Brennan saw the flicker of worry in his eyes. "More importantly, what have you done with the rest of our group?"