Aiden listened as Antonia screamed as loudly as she could for her father. He closed his eyes and silently prayed that the person that was coming closer in the snowmobile was indeed rescue, and not more trouble. He was breathing easier now, but the pain was still excruciating, and he could feel his body becoming weaker with each passing minute. He listened to her voice, the sound of it cracking and going hoarse as the sound of the snowmobile became louder. He squeezed his eyes closed, and gritted his teeth, listening to her voice as it melted with the sound of the machine, until both stopped.
Antonia screamed his name as loudly and as clearly as she could, praying that the motors hadn't stopped because they were gone, but because they were listening for her. She stepped to the bottom stair, screaming for him again and again. Her body was exhausted, her mind was reeling, and her voice was quickly going hoarse. She suddenly heard the motor of a snowmobile, and as she screamed his name again and again, she took steps into the deep snow, desperately praying that he would hear her and come to her.
Booth made his way down the road slowly and methodically, holding his head to the side so that the headlamp flashed along the trees. In the distance, under the sound of his motor, he could hear her voice beckoning him. "Deuce!" he heard, the name ringing off his ears like a bell as he quietly prayed that she was alright, though it was clear that her lungs were in working order. He followed the path, moving along, when something caught his eye. He swung the snowmobile to the right, and breathed in the air, smelling the smoke from the fire, and catching the sight of a figure in the darkness, a shroud of light around her made her seem almost heavenly as light escaped from a door or window as the fire flickered within. He slammed on the the gas for a moment and approached her, watching as she waded through the snow toward him, sobbing.
He cut the engine and pulled the helmet off just as she made it to the snowmobile, her arms embracing him immediately as he held onto her tightly.
"Deuce!" She sobbed into his shoulder, holding him as tightly as she could, her body trembling as he held her. "I knew you would come." She sobbed. "I knew you would come!" She refused to let him go, feeling the snow and cold on his jacket, he realized she didn't have a coat on, and she was trembling from the mix of the cold, and from emotion.
"Baby girl." He whispered, pulling her arms from him, he took her face in his hands and got a good look at her. "I've never been so happy to see this face." He whispered, watching as tears rolled down her face. "Daddy's here, he's here, baby girl." He whispered, hugging her again. "Are you okay? Where's Fitz?"
"He's hurt." She said, pulling from him suddenly. "He's in the cabin, but he's hurt." She grabbed his arm and started to pull him toward the cabin.
"Hang on, hang on." He said, grabbing her arm, he pulled her into him again as he reached for the compartment on the snowmobile, and grabbed the walkie. "Ace, we have them."
"Great!" Ace exclaimed. "They okay?"
"Aiden is injured."
"We need an ambulance." Antonia whispered, watching as Booth watched her eyes as they flicked nervously.
"We're going to need an ambulance." Booth said.
"Did Toni finally take him down?" Ace teased.
Antonia huffed angrily as she grabbed the radio from her father, pushing the button, she was finally starting to unravel. "Listen to me, Special Agent 'Hard Head', We need an ambulance for your agent, before his lung collapses. He has a fractured collarbone and a broken rib, as well as a head injury because of one of YOUR suspects, who are also here, so you might want to get a prison transport as well." She snapped, slamming the radio into her father's hand, she took a deep breath, and Booth could see the fire in her eyes, a fire he was all too familiar with.
"You got that?" Booth muttered into the radio.
"Uh, Yes." Ace replied, "Grave Digger isn't going to be getting out of here anytime soon."
"Come down here, we can assess, regroup. Follow the road, about a half mile on the right, look for the cards."
"We'll be right there." Ace replied. "Ace, out."
Booth looked at Antonia as she stared back at him for a moment. He could see that little girl in her face, that sad, scared little girl who thought that if she just went invisible that everything would go away. "You came for me, Deuce." She whispered, watching his eyes as all of the fear, all of the anxiety, all of the broken-hearted screaming moments from the past just melted into this moment, this one moment, and dissolved into the steam from their breaths. "I love you, Daddy." She whispered.
"I love you, Toni." He whispered, pulling her into his arms, he held her tightly, as she squeezed back with all of the strength she could. "Let's get inside." He whispered, nodding toward the cabin, she clung to her father as he walked with her toward the cabin, gripping his arm as if she thought he'd disappear if she let go.
They reached the door and she opened it, releasing Booth's arm as he came in behind her. She walked over to Aiden, and knelt beside him, watching his eyes follow her. "We're going to get out of here." She smiled, touching his cheek.
Booth said nothing as he watched the exchange, the agent's eyes were on Antonia for a moment longer than he expected, and then he looked up at Booth. Booth watched the agent, his shirt half off, a catheter in his chest. His eyes were sunken in, and his lips looked dry and cracked as he looked up at the older agent. "Jesus, Fitz." Booth muttered.
"Sorry, Sir." He said softly, feeling a sharp pain, he winced.
"Your suspects are over there." Antonia said, taking her eyes off Aiden for a moment to glance at her father and point to the corner. "One of them rushed Aiden through that window." She said, watching as Booth nodded and walked over toward the two of them, taking a scrutinizing look.
"This one looks like the sketch." Booth said, giving the man a slight nudge with his foot. The suspect jumped and looked up at the imposing figure above him.
"Who the hell are you?" The suspect asked, a bit of fear in his voice as he watched Booth standing above him, an angry scowl on his face.
"I'm the father of the cop you shot, you piece of shit." Booth said, leaning down toward him, Booth could see the red mark on the side of his face, and the scrapes from the glass window. "Looks like you're the one that hurt my Agent too." He mumbled.
"Yeah, well that psycho bitch hit me with a fucking board!" He grunted, nodding toward them. "I have rights, She is keeping us here in this cabin against our will! It's kidnapping!"
"Well, look at it this way. She's a blackbelt in karate, an expert sharpshooter, and a champion archer. I think you fared pretty damn well under the circumstances." Booth said, glancing to the other suspect as he looked up, but kept quiet.
He looked to the door as the sound of the second snowmobile came to a stop outside of the cabin, and after a moment they heard two sets of boots on the porch.
Antonia stood up as the door opened, and saw Ace first, then Parker. A bright grin adorned her face as her brother pulled his hat off. "Parker!" She said, shifting around the table, she hugged her brother tightly.
"Hey." Parker said, hugging her tightly, he glanced to Booth who smiled and shrugged.
"I guess she missed you."
Antonia pulled from the hug and wiped the tear with her sleeve, looking to her father. "I'm just glad you two lunatics didn't come out here alone." She said, looking over at Ace, as he looked down at the two suspects and surveyed the cabin.
"Nah, we brought young blood out for an adventure." Ace said, stepping over to Ant, he gave her a hug. "It's good to see you, kiddo."
"I love you, Ace." She whispered, squeezing him tightly. "Thanks for coming for us."
"Of course." He said, looking at her face, he moved a hair from her forehead. He looked down at Aiden and lifted his eyebrows. "What the hell did she do to you, man?"
Aiden rolled his eyes and coughed a little, wincing as he tried not to laugh.
Booth looked around, sighing as he saw no reasonable way to transport two suspects, and an injured man on a snowmobile. "How the hell are we going to get them out of here?" Booth asked.
Antonia was walking around the room, her eyes focusing on the suspects, back to Aiden, and the three new guests. She felt more confident, more awake, and more clear headed than she had in days. Booth watched her eyes scan the cabin, her mind reeling in a direction that he was more than confident would lead them to a solution. It was like observing a watchmaker at work. Intricate, purposeful movements, gears turning gears and springs. "I have an idea." She whispered, looking up at the three men who had been watching her the entire time. She suddenly felt her cheeks flush as her mother's smile flashed onto her face. "What?"
"Nothing." Booth laughed lightly. "What do you have, kid?"