July 6th 5:00am-
It wasn't the whisper of the air conditioner that woke him up, or the movement of the bed. It wasn't the stealthy escape of the person that he had securely wrapped his arm over as both a means of protection and as a way to ward off nightmares. What woke him up was the small wet kiss that landed on his cheek. It was gentle and sweet, and when he opened his eyes to the dark blue orbs staring back at him, he couldn't help but smile back at the grin that greeted him. Her smile was infectious, and once she knew that she had woken him, it was his prize for opening his eyes.
He looked toward the bathroom door, he could hear the water running, and he slowly sat up. His eyelids still felt extremely heavy, and he stifled a yawn, his eyes moved to Melody as she flopped down beside him, looking up at him with that same smile. "You seem happy." He said, watching her read his lips, she signed back to him something he wasn't sure of. He reached over and smoothed her mussed hair, letting one of his fingers gently push the strands from her eyes as she smiled and took his hand, leaning her body into him as he thought about what had gotten him to this point in the past few hours. "Ant?" He signed, pointing to the bathroom, and she nodded happily toward him.
He stood up as he listened to the water stop running, and stretched a little as he walked toward the bathroom door. He lightly tapped on it, and after a moment the door opened a crack. He was greeted with a cloud of steam, and a towel clad Antonia, looking up at him with a bit of a smile. She took his hand and pulled him into the bathroom with her, poking her head out to the little girl, who smiled curiously. "Stay, please." She signed, getting a resolute nod from Melody as she closed the door behind her. As soon as the door was closed, she pushed him against the wall and kissed him hungrily.
He let out a chuckle against her mouth, kissing her back for a moment, he listened to the guttural groan that escaped her lips. "Oh God, I missed you." He mumbled.
"I missed you back." She said, pushing him into her as she moaned into his chest as he let his hands roam, feeling her skin and her curves against his skin, slick and sweet smelling from her shower.
He noticed her flinch, and pulled away from her slightly, noting the dark bruise across her shoulder. "Oh, Tex." He whispered.
"It's fine, it doesn't hurt." She mumbled, trying to pull him closer.
"You flinched. It does hurt. Hey." He whispered as he leaned down and gently kissed the bruise, beside the bruise, and moved up to her neck. She let out a little squeak and he laughed against her skin. "You should probably get out there before she escapes for another snack." He whispered.
"Mm…" She mumbled, a bit of a disappointed tinge to her voice. "I have to talk to her about that." She mumbled.
"I have to take a quick shower." He said, running a finger over her cheek, she tipped her head. "Don't look at me like that, you took your shower, and didn't even ask me if I wanted to join you." He winked, and she smiled slyly. "Go talk to Shadow, I'll be out in a couple of minutes." He said, dropping a kiss on her nose.
"Hurry, we have to get out of here before Mom and Dad are up." She said, kissing him quickly as she opened the door.
"I'm still not convinced this is a good idea." He said, watching her eyes. "Your father is going to kill me."
"He's not going to leave his grandchild fatherless." She whispered, kissing him quickly, she disappeared into the room, closing the bathroom door behind her, listening to him mumble under his breath about how that didn't stop him from threatening to kill him.
Antonia stepped into the room, her towel wrapped around her securely, her hair wrapped up in a towel as well. She watched Melody sitting on the bed, waiting patiently. "I'm hungry." Melody signed, her brow furrowing into a pitiful frown.
"So are we." Antonia signed back, looking toward the small pile of clothes they had, she pulled out a few items and looked to her small friend. "We need to talk." She said, lifting her eyebrows, she noted that at her raised eyebrows, Melody scowled disapprovingly. "Don't frown at me." She said, shaking her head. "This is important." She pulled the towel off her hair, dropping it unceremoniously on the little girl's head, she listened to her giggle as she pulled the towel off and looked up at her. "Do you want to be safe?" She asked, when she could see that Melody was watching her.
"Yes." She nodded, watching as Antonia focused on her. "Yes." She replied again.
"Do you want the bad men to take us again?" She asked her, knowing that her question was harsh, but she needed to make sure Melody understood the gravity of the situation.
"No!" Melody signed, hard and fast, shaking her head vehemently.
"If you want to be safe, if you want us to keep you safe, you cannot go off on your own." She said, watching the scowl start to return.
"I was hungry. I found Bean." She said, and even in the way she signed, Antonia could sense the whine that was typical of a child her age. "I found him."
"Yes. If you had woken me, we would have found him together." She pointed out. "Sneaking is dangerous. Going off alone is dangerous. If you are hungry, or if you need anything, Melody. You must ask me or Aiden." She said, seriously. "You must. No excuses." Antonia signed, her face stern and serious.
"You were sleeping." Melody replied with a grunt.
"Then wake me up. Your safety is more important than sleep, it is the most important thing. I need you to be safe. Bean needs you to be safe. Please ask. Always ask." Antonia replied, speaking as she signed. "We will make sure you get everything that you need."
"What if you say no?" She signed back, lifting an eyebrow challengingly.
"Then we will discuss." Antonia said, reaching across to tickle the girl, she got the giggle she was looking for. "Melody, I love you. I don't say that to just anyone. You are important, and I need you to be safe."
"I love you." Melody signed back, a slight smile on her lips. "Bean doesn't always understand what I say." She signed to Antonia, a look of concern across her face as she glanced toward the bathroom and back to Antonia.
"We will have to teach him, won't we?" She said with a smile, watching as Melody smiled brightly. "Let me get dressed, and we will get ready to go."
"Bean is coming too?"
"He is coming too, yes." She winked. "Stay here. I will get dressed and be out." She said, watching Melody nod her head. She stepped toward the bathroom just as it opened. Aiden had showered and changed into his pants, and was just slipping on his t-shirt when he nearly ran into Antonia. "Hey, watch it, buddy." She teased, snagging a kiss from him, his arm went around her back as he turned her around.
"Right, don't want to catch your wrath." He teased back, the vision of the two suspects still in the back of his mind, he watched a look of guilt pass over her expression before disappearing into a wicked smile.
"I'll be right out." She said, closing the door.
Aiden turned to see Melody sitting on the bed, in the same place he had left her, Antonia's towel on her lap as she watched him carefully, kneading it between her fingertips. He tucked his t-shirt in and grabbed his belt and shirt off the dresser. "Are you being good?" he asked, signing what he could, she gave him a coy smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"You don't know?" He asked, walking toward her playfully, he saw a snap of fear in her eyes as they darted toward the belt in his hand. She let out a yelp and leapt across the bed, falling onto the other side near the wall. He dropped his shirt and belt and leapt onto the bed, looking down at her curled up, trembling form.
"What happened?" Antonia's voice came from the door of the bathroom, her head popped around the corner.
"Nothing, I've got it. Get dressed." He said, looking up at her, he waved her off, watching her scowl. He looked down at Melody and watched her eyes look up at him slowly. "Hey." He mumbled to himself as he reached down to pick up the little girl, she didn't struggle, but she kept her eyes closed and she trembled in his arms. He lay on his back, placing her on his tummy as he tried to get her to look at him. "Hey." He mumbled again, touching her cheek as she slowly looked up at him. She could see the concern in his eyes, the fear that he had scared her. "I will never hurt you." He said out loud, watching her eyes focus on his lips. "I will never, ever hurt you." He said again. "Do you understand?" He asked, he sat up with her on his lap and pointed to the ceiling and nodded slightly as he signed to her. "Understand?" He asked again. "I will never hurt you."
Melody watched the sincerity in his eyes, the guilt of causing her panic was clear. "Understood." She signed back, leaning up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held tightly, apologizing for the misunderstanding.
Antonia stepped out of the bathroom dressed, running a brush through her hair as she watched them curiously. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" She asked.
"Just a misunderstanding." He said, tugging at the little girl's arms to unwrap them from his neck, she kissed his cheek and he tickled her, watching her fall to the bed playfully in a fit of giggles. "We're good now." He said, glancing to her, he signed, and she nodded. He leaned down, picked up his belt and shirt and quickly put them both on, turning around as he buttoned the shirt, he watched Antonia watch him. "Are you ready to go?" He asked, walking toward the safe, he pushed the buttons and pulled out the holster and gun, situating them on his person, he looked to see Melody's wide eyes on him as Antonia got her dressed for the day. "Tex, can you explain the gun to her, please?" He asked, watching as Antonia looked to see the little girl's expression. "I'm going to look into getting us out of here." He said. She nodded her head, and he stepped quickly out of the room with his cell phone.
"Melody." Antonia signed, garnering the little girl's attention, her head snapped in her direction. "Bean is a police man." She said, unsure of how to explain it any other way, she watched the little girl's brow furrow. "Bean is a police man, he will keep us safe."
"Gun." She signed back, a whimper escaping her lips as Antonia tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Guns are bad."
"He has it for his job, baby. When we are safe, he will put it away. I promise." She signed, watching a dark fear in the little girl's eyes. "He would never hurt us."
"Will he hurt the bad men?" She asked, her fear quickly turning to anger that her protector was forced to have such a dangerous thing.
"He will try to capture the bad men, he doesn't want to hurt anybody. He just wants us to be safe." She replied, kissing the little girl's forehead. "We need to get our things, it's time to go." She said, watching Melody nod her head, her brow still furrowed.
Aiden stepped back into the room and slipped his phone into his pocket. "Alright, there's an all night diner down the road." He said, nodding. "We will go there to eat, and the car rental place doesn't open until 6, but it's only a building or two down from the diner. If we can avoid your parents until then, we're good." He shrugged. He looked between the two girls, one scowled at him with a strange mix of determination and frustration, and the other smiled through her concern and fear.
"Let's go." Antonia said, placing their belongings into the drugstore bags that she had. She handed the bags to Aiden, opened the metal box from the dresser and grabbed the deck of cards, closed it quickly and tucked it under her arm. She then took Melody's hand, and they quickly exited the room.
July 6th 6:30am-
Booth walked out of the bathroom after his shower, glancing to the desk in the room, he watched Temperance type furiously into her laptop. "Hey." He said, watching as she continued to type.
"Have you heard from Agent Fitzgerald this morning? I'd expect he'd be quite eager to be moving forward on the case." She said, glancing to her husband. He stood, his body leaning against the wall, his phone in his hand.
"I've called him about four times. I've knocked on his room door. He's not answering." Booth said, glancing to his watch. "You don't think he went out looking for her on his own, do you?"
Temperance shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her laptop, typing swiftly. "I believe that if you were in this particular situation that you would find it impossible to sleep, and would probably take things into your own hands." She said, looking toward him again, she noticed his scowl.
"How the hell would he do that? He has no car, no information." Booth grunted. "He wouldn't even know where to start looking for her. She's probably halfway to one of Max's old hideouts by now."
"That has never stopped you before, Booth." Temperance shrugged. "And I believe that you and Aiden have very much in common." She watched him for a moment, her eyes surveying the way he was standing, the defensive pose, the indignant irritation in his voice and stance. "You need to realize that your daughter is growing up, Booth. She's not that gangly little bookworm that would beg you for one more chapter before turning off her bedroom light. She's a young woman with responsibilities and a man who deeply cares for her, and is willing to sacrifice himself for her safety."
"Well he can't afford to sacrifice himself anymore." Booth grunted, straightening his posture when he saw Temperance's head tilt, and her eyes narrow. "I'm going to call Grace." He said, turning toward the door, hoping to retreat before she said anything more.
"No." She said, her voice and tone stern. "No, not so fast." She said watching him stop dead in his tracks. "What are you not telling me."
"Nothing." Booth said, refusing to look at Temperance, he put his hand on the doorknob. "Nothing, I know nothing."
"And you think that I know nothing?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow as she waited for him to turn to face her. "Booth?"
He turned slowly, clearing his throat slightly. "You tell me what you know, and I'll tell you what I know." He said, watching the challenge in her eyes, he let a slight smile slip onto his lips.
"Well, I have no evidence." She cleared her throat. "I just have science."
"And what does science say?" He asked, watching a slight frown appear on her face, before she took a slow deep breath. "Come on, Bones. Out with it."
"Well, based on the accident scene, and her perpetual state of exhaustion, and I'd like to say mood swings, but this is Antonia we're speaking about." Temperance said a bit nervously. She could see the expectant stare in Booth's eyes. "I just think that it's possible, that Antonia may be…"
"Pregnant." Booth finished for her, letting out a sigh, a grin blossoming on his face, he watched Temperance's confusion cloud her expression. "She's pregnant, Bones."
"She is?" Temperance gasped slightly. "How… how do you know that for certain?"
"Aiden told me." He said, clearing his throat. "He just blurted it out yesterday." He said, feeling his ears turning red for some reason. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, just that he needed to tell Temperance. "I told him not to say anything." He said, noting that she was about to protest. "I mean, I didn't… I didn't want him to upset you without us knowing if she was okay or not. She's okay though, right?" Booth asked. "She's okay." He whispered.
"She should be okay." Temperance replied. "She signaled that she was okay." Temperance said, nodding toward the cards on the desk. "She's okay." Temperance nodded, feeling a bit more confident about things, she stood up and Booth stepped toward her, wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her forehead tenderly. "Our baby is going to have a baby, Booth." She whispered. "Isn't she supposed to get married first? She's still young, she has so much ahead of her. Is she even ready for something like this?"
"Come on, Bones. This is Antonia we're talking about." Booth said, watching her eyes. "She never does anything in order. "She was literally conceived before you and I even slept together." He laughed, watching his wife stifle a smile. "She finished half of her first semester of college before she was out of high school." He said with a laugh. "She's a smart, beautiful, caring woman. She'll be a wonderful mother, because look at who her role model is." He smiled.
"Sometimes I believe you say things like that to garner something based on a point system that you've established as basis of a reward." Temperance said watching him smile.
"You could just say brownie points, Bones." Booth teased, dropping a kiss on her lips.
They were interrupted by a sharp rapping at the door, and assumed it would be Aiden. When Booth turned and opened the door, however he was surprised to see Angela. She had a slightly panicked look on her face, holding playing cards in her hand.
"Is he playing games with us or something?" She asked, holding the cards up for Booth to see, he grabbed them from her.
"Where did you get these?"
"They were stuck in the window of your car. Aiden is gone, he left his key at the front desk, and he's gone." Angela said, looking in on Temperance who didn't look surprised.
"These are Toni's cards." He said, letting Angela into the room. "He went with her." He said, holding up a Jack of hearts, Queen of hearts, and Queen of clubs. "She knew we were here, why wouldn't she come to us? Why wouldn't she ask us for help?" Booth asked, his ears burning with anger as he felt himself getting worked up. "What the hell is wrong with her?" Booth growled, watching Temperance and Angela watching on quietly.
"Booth, she did what she had to do to keep Melody safe." Temperance said.
"That is bullshit, Bones! We can keep her safe! She doesn't have to take off in order to keep her safe. She should be with us, she should be helping us with the case! Now Aiden's gone, she's gone. They're off making their own little family while we're stuck here trying to put the goddamned pieces together in this stupid puzzle. I don't even know if she's okay!" He exclaimed.
"Booth." Temperance said, stopping his rant just as it started to warm up. He turned his head to look her in the eyes, and could immediately see that he was a bit out of line. "They will contact us soon." She said, holding up a fourth card that Angela had handed Temperance, a King of hearts with 'Daddy, I am ok.' written across it in permanent marker. She watched her husband's anger deflate immediately, his eyes focused on the card in Temperance's hand as he plucked it from her fingers. He sighed, closed his eyes for a second and then looked at both of the women for a moment. "She has a plan, Booth. She will help with the case. She has protection with her, someone that we both trust. It's okay. Now let's get the evidence we need here, have the suspects transferred, and when Antonia calls, we can try to figure out where they were attempting on bringing the girls, so we can get an idea of who this third suspect is."
Booth's stance suddenly became less defensive, standing up a little straighter. "Ace is looking into known associates of the two suspects we do have, and trying to make a connection to Melody, or her foster family. Ange has the cell phones, she's bringing them in to have them analyzed to see if we can get any data off them to link them to the third suspect." Booth sighed.
"Good. Now let's get some breakfast so that we don't have to work on an empty stomach." Temperance said with a slight smile.
"Best idea that I've heard all day." Booth said, nodding his head.
July 6th-6:30am
Aiden glanced back at the little girl in her car seat in the back as he adjusted the mirrors of the rental car. Antonia was fiddling with the navigation system of the car, and letting out a slightly frustrated growl.
"You got it?" He asked, suddenly a victim of her glare.
"Yeah." She said, turning her glare into a smile. "Just give me a second."
"If you tell me where we're going, then I can just put it in."
"If you'd let me drive, then we wouldn't have to put it in the navigation system." She sniped back.
"If you had gotten kidnapped with your license, you'd be able to drive, but since you didn't think that far ahead, I am going to have to be the one to bear the burden of driving." He sighed heavily with a laugh.
"Martyr." She muttered as she entered the address and smiled when it gave the directions. "Okay, all set."
"Where are we headed, Thelma and Louise?" Aiden asked, winking at Melody in the rearview mirror as he backed up the car and turned it to face the road.
"Just a little place called the Kingdom by the Sea." She said, a sly smile on her lips as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
"Intriguing." Aiden said watching her for a second as he began their journey according to the navigation system's prompts.
"And if I'm Thelma, and that's Louise." She said, her eyes still closed.
"That would make me Brad Pitt." Aiden smirked.
"Yeah, yeah. Well if you steal my savings and leave me stranded. I'll hunt you down and throw you off the Grand Canyon." She said with a sleepy smile.
"Duly noted." He said with a laugh, taking her hand in his, he drove them off to safety.