Disclaimer: I still don't own anything, although I did see that they are making an episode where the case is related to Temperance's books...hey, maybe I can sue them for stealing my idea... :-)
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews to the last chapter. I always appreciate it. Now, about this one...let's start with a moment of honesty. Most of us love those stories where Booth saves the day and saves Bones. If we didn't, Angela's comment about Booth being a "knight in standard FBI issue body armor" wouldn't be repeated so much. However, even though I liked this theme as much as the next Bones viewer, I decided I wanted to play with it a little. So, in this chapter, I hope to put a new spin on the popular "Booth saves the day" story. Let me know what you think. Not proofread. Here you go...
The sky was beginning to turn when Temperance woke up. Sunset was coming. Feeling groggy and disoriented, she forced her eyes open and tried to look at her surroundings. The walls made her feel dizzy, the patterns creating disjointed chaos, and for a moment she remembered reading the story "The Yellow Wallpaper" in her English 101 class. Her head felt oddly disconnected from her body, and she wondered for a moment if she was even really awake.
Her limbs felt unnaturally heavy, her head far to light, and when she tried to move she felt her muscles resound with a shock of protest. Her eyelids felt thick, her cheeks swollen, and she couldn't seem to shake the overwhelming confusion that was clouding her actions.
"Temperance?" It was a tentative voice. Coming from your right her brain registered. She turned her head slowly.
Ophelia Stone was staring back at her with concerned eyes. "How are you feeling?"
Temperance put a hand on her forehead, trying to find some way to balance the sensations. "What happened?"
"You feel asleep."
Temperance then noticed that it was getting dark outside. "How long ago?"
Ophelia looked at her watch. "About…three hours? Four?"
"My head…"
"You were sleeping really soundly."
Temperance moved slightly in an attempt to stretch, or to at least stimulate the blood flow in her limbs. Her left arm gave a sharp shock of pained protest at this action. She looked down at it and saw three pin-sized marks, the areas around them darkened slightly with the beginnings of bruises. "What happened to my arm?" she asked. She noticed the slight slur in her own voice.
"Do you need some water?"
Temperance looked back at Ophelia through her thickly lidded eyes. "Water…"
Ophelia got up to get the drink as Temperance remained on the couch, trying to regain a sense of understanding. It wasn't until Ophelia was walking back that Temperance began to realize it was strange that Ophelia didn't seem to see anything odd about this situation.
Angela, Hodgins, and Zach stood staring at the notes dumbly as Angela's realization began to sink in.
"Ophelia Stone…" Hodgins said slowly under his breath.
"Ophelia knows who the killer is," Zach said.
"Ophelia is the killer," Hodgins corrected. "She broke into Dr. Brennan's apartment. She had to; she left the note on the wall."
"And in the apartment…" Zach began.
"She also left a skull," Hodgins finished.
"We have to call Bren and Booth," Angela stated, pulling out her cell phone.
She dialed Temperance's number first, but the phone just went to voicemail. "She isn't answering."
"Where is she?" Zach asked.
Angela began to dial Booth's number. "She left earlier, but she didn't say where she was going."
"She was probably going to go get some sleep, she was really tired," Hodgins added.
Booth's phone rang, but also went to voicemail. "He isn't answering, either," Angela said. She dialed again with the same result.
A third attempt also proved fruitless. "We have to get up with them," Angela said, attempting Temperance's phone again. It once again went to voicemail. She dialed her own apartment, hoping Temperance was there. There was no answer.
"I'll go to Booth's office," Hodgins said, heading for the door. "Keeping trying to get in touch with Dr. Brennan."
Angela nodded, hitting redial on the cell phone.
"What about me?" Zach asked.
"Zach, you…inspect something. See if you can figure anything else out." And with that, he left.
Temperance accepted the water from Ophelia, vaguely noticing that her own hands were slightly shaking. She felt a slight rise of panic when she realized she didn't remember coming to Ophelia's house.
"What's going on?" Temperance asked.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"What happened?"
Ophelia sat gingerly on the couch beside Temperance. "I'm really sorry."
Temperance felt a small spike in her heart rate. "For what?"
Ophelia sighed. "I didn't want it to be this way. I wanted you to just understand, without any help. You were the perfect person for it."
"For what?" Temperance began to feel dizzy.
"To understand me. I tried to explain it to you. Do you remember?"
"Remember…?"
Ophelia looked Temperance fully in the eyes. "You are the dichotomy, Temperance. You bridge the gap between the living and the dead."
Temperance began to feel sickly and lightheaded, and then she heard it…a soft noise, like a gentle whispering in her brain. "Is this…am I dreaming?" she asked.
Ophelia reached out and tenderly stroked Temperance cheek. "You should have been my daughter, Temperance. You and I are so alike. Please understand that I only did this so you would understand what I was telling you. I'm just doing it to show you…it's like there's a sheath over reality, and if we can just peak around it, we can see what is really real. We can already see the cracks in the canvas, where the worlds stick together…like the word 'mouth,' a word and at the same time spoken with the mouth…it's what is real and really real and completely transitory."
Temperance struggled to listen, the whispering beginning to turn into a steady hiss.
"I didn't want to do any of it, Temperance. I didn't want to kill any of them. But they told me…"
"Who?" Temperance mumbled.
Ophelia smiled. "They did. Don't you hear them?"
The hiss grew louder.
"I tried to warn you," Ophelia said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I didn't want you to get caught up in it all. I just wanted you to know. I needed someone to know. They wanted to taunt you, but I put notes inside the notes, so that you would understand. They wanted me to get rid of you." Ophelia leaned close to Temperance, her breath coating Temperance's ear. "I'm saving you."
Temperance pulled back and looked into Ophelia's eyes, confused. As she stared, she suddenly saw it. In Ophelia's eyes, she saw a true note of utter terror. "Now save me," she whispered hoarsely. "Just understand. Please…just help. Save me." Her voice was urgent and pleading.
Temperance heard a sudden jarring roar echo through her skull, and she clamped her hands over her ears in an effort to block the noise. It didn't lessen, and she wasn't sure of she cried out in response.
Ophelia placed a hand on her neck. "Shh…it's okay, baby. Don't fight it. Shh…it's okay…"
Hodgins rolled into the parking lot at the FBI building, getting out of the car almost before it was even at a complete stop. He jogged inside, rushing until he made it to Booth's office. He looked in and saw his cell phone ringing on the desk.
He grabbed the first nearby agent he saw. "Where's Agent Booth?" he asked. "It's important, about a case he's working on."
"Interview room two, I think," the man answered. Hodgins hurried away.
After a few long minutes of explaining and talking to the men outside of the interview room, Hodgins pushed past them and flung the door opened, saying Booth's name loudly as the men tried to pull him back.
"Hey, hey, WHOA!" Booth said, signaling for the men to stop. "It's cool, I know him. What, Hodgins?"
"We know who it is. We have the evidence."
"Uh, Hodgins, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now…" he gestured to Daniel Roslynn.
"This is more important."
Booth sighed. He looked at Danny. "I'll be back when your lawyer gets here," he said, pushing up out of his chair, heading to the door.
"Looking forward to it," the man muttered back.
Hodgins and Booth made it outside the door. "Okay, Hodgins, what is it?"
"Zach figured out the notes. They're anagrams, and they're signed."
Booth paused. "Wait, what do you mean 'signed'?"
"Initialed. It's Ophelia Stone, Booth. She's behind it all."
"You're sure?"
"The evidence doesn't lie."
"Where's Bones?"
"We can't get up with her."
Booth turned to the men outside the interview room. "Tell him to come back tomorrow," he said. He turned to Hodgins. "You better be right about this."
Hodgins nodded and Booth headed out to his SUV. He fired up the engine and pulled out, heading in the direction of Ophelia Stone's house.
Temperance struggled to control her muscles as her body went into a spasm. She could feel her body vibrating in her fingers, her calves, her shoulders, and even behind her ribs. She felt tears gather in the corners of her eyes as her brain irrationally begged her body to be still.
Ophelia continued to stroke her neck and back. "Just let it go, baby."
"W-what…what's going on?" Temperance choked out. "What's happening to me?"
"Shh…I just need you to calm down. Listen to me."
Temperance turned her head to look at Ophelia. The actions caused an echoing noise to pulse through Temperance's mind, heightening the ferocity of the shaking in her hands. Ophelia suddenly seemed as though she were much farther away, the room seeming to stretch for miles, the walls inflating and spreading into nothingness. Her skin felt both clammy and burning hot at the same time.
"I didn't want to have to do this. But I couldn't make you understand." Ophelia's voice was urgent. "They wanted me to just get rid of you, but you and I know better."
Temperance coughed, feeling as though she were about to vomit. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"I can't just get rid of you, baby, because you and I both know that we can't ever really be destroyed." She leaned closer, and Temperance shuddered, suddenly thinking that her features seemed too prominent, too well defined. "We are two of the few, Temperance. We stand on the line better this world and the real. We are between life and death. You deal with death everyday, intimately, personally. And I…I have had my own personal dealings with death. But we are both the living. We will always be the living."
Temperance coughed again, the bile burning her throat and the back of her mouth. The shaking seemed to intensify.
"We can peak into the real, Temperance. When we die, we'll still be able to go back and forth. But it will be heightened, don't you understand? We can have control. We can get away from them."
The rumbling rose louder in Temperance's ears. "You aren't getting out this time…" The tears spilled out of Temperance's eyes, lining her cheeks with salty trails. "I have you now…"
"I don't…I don't understand…"
A look of hurt passed through Ophelia's eyes.
"Booth…I need to talk to Booth," Temperance stuttered out. She wasn't sure why she needed to talk to him, what she thought he would do, but at that moment talking to Booth seemed to be the only thing that mattered in the world. He would know what to do. He would make sense out of what was going on. If only she could talk to Booth…
"Booth isn't like us. Booth can't cross over. He can't be a part of what we can…he won't understand."
Temperance began to feel frantic. Bursts of pain began to enflame her stomach.
"You belong with me, Temperance. We belong with the dead."
"Go to your dead…"
"I don't want to die…"
"It isn't a real death, baby. We're just going home."
Ophelia stood from the couch and walked back to the desk in the corner. She opened a side drawer and came back with a handgun. Temperance stared at it, her eyes fixed on the metal. Ophelia stood before Temperance, the gun resting in her fingers.
"I want you to wait for me when you get there. I'll be coming right behind. Wait for me, baby. Promise that you will wait."
I'm going to die Temperance realized. She's going to kill me. Come on, Tempe, get up. Get the gun. Fight back. FIGHT BACK! In spite of her thoughts, she heard her voice say. "I promise."
Booth dialed Temperance's cell phone number as he roared to Ophelia's home. The phone, once again, went straight to voicemail.
"Come on, Bones. Where are you?"
Ophelia lifted the gun, leveling toward Temperance's head. Temperance felt her muscles twitch. She heard the hiss burn the edges of her brain. Suddenly, she felt her heart rate accelerate further. No she thought simply. With this thought on her mind, she forced her body to move.
She lunged forward, unable to give a real thought to how stupid this action was. Ophelia was on the ground before she had truly processed what was happening, the gun skidding off to the left.
Terrified, Temperance gave no thought to what she was doing. She just fought. Fought to stay alive, fought out of fear, fought out of confusion for what was going on. Ophelia matched her vigor, the older woman grunting from the strain of deflecting Temperance's attacks.
They rolled on the carpet, bringing them both closer to the gun. Temperance jumped up and lunged for it as Ophelia reached out. Their hands met together on the weapon, each struggling for control.
I have to stay alive Temperance thought, even as Ophelia's words from before washed over her. She continued to fight, even as a new realization came over her. I need to die…
Booth arrived in Ophelia's driveway and felt his blood turn to ice in his veins when his headlight reflected on Temperance's car. His brain reeled as he threw his door open and darted out. He dialed 911 on his cell phone, throwing it to the ground after pressing send. They could trace his call, he thought. Drawing his gun, he ran toward the door at full speed. He had almost made it when he heard the solid, final, sickening blast of a gunshot. Then, nothing. Feeling as though he would be sick, he kicked open the door with a strong left heel, and entered, gun raised.
Blood was the first thing he saw. Too much blood. He then saw the woman on the floor, the dead wide open eyes of a face that was disturbingly like Temperance Brennan.
His own blood roared in his ears, as he lifted his eyes and saw her. His Bones. Standing, staring at the dead form of Ophelia Stone, coated in blood, the gun still enveloped by her fingers.
"Bones…" he said tentatively, lowering the gun.
She turned her eyes to him, and he immediately knew something was wrong. "Bones?"
She looked directly at him, but it was as if she couldn't see him. "Booth?" she said, her voice bewildered.
Her eyes were glassy, and he noticed that she had one sleeve rolled up. She looked both terrified and apathetic at the same time.
"It's alright, Bones. I'm here. Just…put the gun down, walk over to me."
Temperance looked back at Ophelia, then at the gun in her hand, and then at the spattered blood. "What happened?"
"Bones, just listen to me. Put the gun down, walk to me."
"Someone is bleeding…"
Booth saw blood leaking from scratches on Temperance's body as Ophelia's blood pooled around her feet.
Booth inched closer. At his motion, Temperance quickly looked up, leveling the gun at him. "Stop."
Freezing, Booth stopped.
"Stop!" Temperance repeated, more urgently. Confused, Booth continued to stand still.
Temperance put her hands back over her ears, and sank down to the floor, not seeming to notice that she was sitting in the puddle of still warm blood. All Booth could seem to notice was the fact that the gun was now dangerously close to Temperance's head, the metal touching her temple.
Temperance began to whimper, and finally to cry. Booth tentatively stepped forward again.
"STOP!" Temperance shouted, this time firing a shot that flew past Booth's right arm.
Booth froze, his hands going rigid around his gun.
"Temperance!" He shouted.
This seemed to calm her for a moment, and she looked at him.
He stared into her eyes. She isn't there he thought. It's like she isn't in there. "Temperance, I need you to listen to me, alright? Put the gun on the floor. Push it away from you. It's going to be okay. Just put the gun down."
Temperance stared at him for a moment, before finally giving him a slow, sad smile. "She was right," she whispered.
Booth kept his gun ready, pointed at the ground in front of Temperance's feet. "Who was right?"
Temperance looked at Ophelia. "I don't belong here…" She shook her head and then looked back at Booth. "It's so loud…" she hoarsely whispered. "And she was right…they're right…"
"Temperance, you need to listen to me now," Booth begged.
Temperance wiped a tear from her cheek with the hand that was still holding the gun. Booth flinched as it passed under her eye. "I wanted to love you, Booth, do you know that?" She gave him a sad smile. "I wanted to. Maybe I did. But you have a son. Hodgins and Angela have a baby. You've all created life." She shook her head, looking back at Ophelia. "Your place, Booth, is with the living." She looked back at him, and he watched in terror as she lifted the gun back up, resting it against her temple. "And mine is with the dead."
Thoughts? Now's the time