Disclaimer: They are not mine and I am still doing with them as I please…
Authors note: You requested a rapid update, begged for me to write quickly and so I have, always one to keep the readers happy. Now, you know what makes me happy? That damned little button at the bottom of the page.
Angela came up and put her hand on his arm and they stood for a moment, frozen, as the fear swirled between them. Agent Fischer found them as they were unlocking Brennan's office. Booth started to talk then, explaining that someone had destroyed his vehicle and where it was found. Angela normally would have questioned him about being over Bren's on the weekend and why he had stayed the night but she bit her tongue in front of the other agent. The way Booth was glaring at her made her more than aware this was not the time for questions.
"I need to get into her e-mail, she sent herself the list of possible suspects we worked on yesterday so she could have the files pulled this morning." He sat down at her desk, glancing at the notes she had written here and there, looking at her handwriting and visualizing her here, scrawling the notes in haste before leaving. His hands curled into fists and it was then the pain shot up his right arm and he remembered the dashboard. He uncurled his hand and turned his attention to the computer. Angela walked him through the sign on when suddenly a personal security screen popped up requesting a password.
"What's her password Ange?" The agent sat waiting, hands poised over the keyboard.
"I don't know, that's a personal sign in, try some different things, try bones." He typed and was rejected. They threw out possibilities, the name of her book, her brother, her favorite color and even Wong Fu's with no luck. Suddenly Angela reached over his shoulder and he watched her type, B O O T H. The screen jumped to life in from of them. He smiled a small smile, the pleasure and the pain of thinking about her twisting through him like a blade. Once in the e-mail he opened and printed the list, scanning the rest his eye caught one from David, sent on Saturday. It struck him, why would David be e-mailing her on Saturday when she broke it off on Friday? He thought back, recalling when he arrived Friday how she had been expecting David, assuming he would have unresolved feelings about what had happened between them. He knew she would be angry but he couldn't help himself, he wanted to see what the e-mail said, easing his guilt by convincing himself that there might be information in it that would help with the case.
Angela watched Booth pause and watched agent Fischer take the list from the printer and distract himself by looking down the names. She put her hand on Booth's shoulder and squeezed, letting him know she was behind him. He opened the e-mail and began to read, his face twisting in confusion.
My dear Temperance,
I am sorry for my harsh words last night, having had some time to think I realize that I acted in haste. Booth is your partner and nothing more, it's not like you can control what you dream. It was wrong of me to hold that against you.
I assume you are at work today as you are most Saturdays so I am hoping you get this some time this morning. I tried your cell and your house but there was no answer. I just know we are supposed to be together Temperance, out of the millions of people on-line we were chosen for one another.
So, I know we can work this out and I will be coming by your place tonight, between 7:00 and 7:30 to talk and hopefully, to stay. You know how I feel about you.
All my love,
David
Booth's mind was reeling as he thought back to Saturday evening. Had David chickened out and not stopped by? They were home, there was no music playing, they would have heard him if he had knocked. As soon as he finished the thought Booth realized what it meant, if they would have heard David, then David would have heard them and he was fully aware of what they were doing at about that time. Suddenly the pieces began to fall into place. His phone rang, startling him from thought.
"Booth, yes I know, fingerprints and blood traces are both a match? I need addresses on any property owned by him, his phone bills and credit card purchases for the last 72 hours as soon as possible. Call me when they're ready." He snapped his phone shut and looked at Angela and agent Fischer who was waiting expectantly for the news to be relayed.
"Angela, David has her and I need to know all you know about him. The forensics lab just called and prints from the SUV matched David."
"David? Why would David have taken her, isn't she dating David? Booth I need a little more information here."
He sighed and told them both to sit for a moment. He relayed what he knew of the Friday break up with David, leaving out the details about the dream and explained that he had stopped to see Bones that same night. He stopped for a moment unsure of how to explain what happened next. What could he say? That he never left? That he had been hopelessly in love with her probably since the first case they ever worked together? That a year of dancing around one another had ended in a slow dance that changed his life?
"Agent Booth, you were saying something about the weekend?" Fischer was starting to look impatient.
"I stayed, I stayed at her apartment the next two nights, if David's e-mail is correct and he stopped by on Saturday at about seven in the evening I am pretty sure I know what he heard from the other side of the door. I can't imagine he took it well." He waited, watching their faces as they began to understand his implications.
Angela was smiling, "Booth, you and Bren finally got together?" He watched it all sink in, "and David came by and heard you having sex?" She saw him blush deeply and agent Fischer was now shaking his head.
"So when we came by here to get the SUV you two were not just meeting to go to breakfast? I knew something was off with your story. So this David must have realized that he had to take her before the forensics on the car came in, before she got here and read the e-mail and figured it out herself?"
"What exactly did he do to your truck?" Angela's eyes were wide as Booth explained the rest of the weekend, up until the moment of her calling him.
"You spent the night in a hotel with her last night? She spent the last three nights with you? Three nights? She doesn't spend three nights with anyone Booth, it's against her nature, it would be detrimental to her personal space…oh my God, she loves you. Doesn't she? Bren doesn't just spend the weekend, especially not with you." The room became quiet, he couldn't look at either of them, his whole body was tense.
Angela came and put her arms around him in a hug and as she let go he looked at her, his eyes burning, the pain etched in his features, "we have to find her, if he hurts her I'll kill him."
Agent Fischer suddenly spoke up, "hey, I didn't hear that okay? What did the office say about addresses on this guy? What does he do for a living? Was he born here? What does he drive? How did he get her out of this building?"
"I can help with some of that before the FBI gats back to you." Angela look between the two of them. "I know he's an investment banker and his office is in the building with the Comerica Bank headquarters. I don't think it's open on the week end. He has an apartment in those relatively new buildings just North of the airport. He drives a black Mazda and thinks it's a macho car, but is terribly mistaken." She rolled her eyes at the last statement and despite himself Booth gave her a small smile.
"He had to have taken her before she actually came through the second set of doors out front, before she was picked up by the inside video system, I want to see the morning tapes."
They all headed together to the security office, Angela having to rush to keep up with the long strides of the two men. In the office they watched the tape several times, Temperance at the door, turning to smile at Booth and then disappearing into the building. The third time as if he had no control of his own hand, he reached out and gently touched her figure on the screen, trying to pick up the smallest feel of her. Angela turned her head, unable to watch the pain flow from him at the sight of her.
They watched the doors for ten more minutes and no one came out, people began to arrive at the building but no one left. Booth requested the tape from inside the doors, where Bones never appeared. Then on the screen, seven minutes after she had entered they watched as a man came into the building, pushing a large cart, on the side of it was the name of the shredding company that came to pick up their disposed of paperwork. The cart seemed weighted and the man, in a plain beige company uniform and cap casually pushed it down the left hall. They tracked him on video until he exited out the side entrance and wheeled the cart easily into the waiting truck.
"That's David." It was Angela who spoke first, recognizing his build and movements and more clearly his face when he loaded the cart into the truck. Booth suddenly struck the table in frustration wincing as his already injured hand seared with a burning pain.
"Booth you need to have that looked at, it looks terrible." The side of the hand was starting to swell and turn shades of angry purple.
"Where would he have taken her? He had to have knocked her out or drugged her to get her into that cart and he had to do it quickly, she's a fighter and she would have fought back if given the slightest opening. Let's go to his apartment, we'll call and get the unit number and I'll meet you there." Fischer nodded in agreement.
Suddenly Angela spoke up, "I want to go with you Booth, she my best friend."
"Angela I can't take you, first of all I don't have clearance for that and secondly everyone else here wants to know what's going on and they are her friends too. You need to go out and explain it to them and see if they have any other information to offer. You can call me if you find anything else out and I'll keep you posted on where we are, you know I will. Now go calm Zach down before he worries himself into a fit and assure Hodgins it's not a governmental conspiracy or alien abduction, okay?"
She nodded and smiled weakly, "I understand why she loves you. I knew it had to be you for her, David never really meant anything, she was just afraid. Now go find her Booth, take your big hunky FBI self and beat David's ass and bring her back, okay?" He nodded and she hugged him, quickly turning before she started to cry and walking out to talk to the others.
Booth made the call for the exact address and the two men headed out of the building to their separate vehicles. He was on his way there when the call came from headquarters, the reception was poor. He was told David's mother had a house on a lake not far from the city, a cabin she stayed in seasonally. There were no other properties registered in the family's name. His gut told him the cabin was a better bet than the apartment, more secluded. He asked that the credit card receipts be checked as soon as they arrived and specifically he was looking for any purchases of gas, food or other items on the route from the city to the cabin. He got the address to the residence and tried to call Fischer to let him know he was going straight to the cabin but there was no answer. Why wasn't he answering? Booth turned the car and headed out of D.C., his gut instinct telling him that he was headed for Temperance.
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David snapped the phone shut and smiled, the fearless hero was on his way. He had been preparing for him for two days, knowing he would come to try to save the day. A twisted smile slid across his face, it was almost over now. He would take care of Booth and end his involvement in Temperance's life once and for all. Once Booth was dead she would have room to love him instead, without distraction. She would see that it was for her own good, that he was protecting their future together and in the end she would thank him for having the vision to rescue her. Then she would be his, completely his, without all these FBI complications. Maybe they would travel, see the world together, it would be fun, sharing their knowledge and passion for learning about other people and places. He couldn't wait to get this over with so they could go on with their lives.
He checked his preparations carefully one last time and went to check on Temperance, she needed to be awake for Booth's arrival.
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Temperance felt someone tapping her cheeks as she climbed through the fog and screaming pain in her head toward consciousness. Blinking into the light she saw David and jerked back from his touch. She immediately realized that she was unable to move, that her body and limbs, even her head were bound against a chair. Bits and pieces were coming back to her, entering the building and seeing the man in the beige uniform, realizing it was David and pausing in confusion, just long enough for him to place something over her mouth, she must have passed out. She was in the trunk of a car for a while but when he opened it he knocked her back out and now this.
"Your FBI hero is on his way dear but don't worry, I'm ready for him. I'm sure you're confused about all this but in time you'll come to understand, once he's dead you'll be rid of him for good and then you'll have room in your heart for me." He stroke her cheek and she tried to scream but her mouth was taped. Her mind was spinning, kill Booth? He couldn't really be planning to kill Booth, but the look in his eyes, the glazed look of insanity told her he was serious. She started to fight, pulling at her restraints, straining and twisting to no avail.
"I knew you would try to fight, that's okay, I understand your confusion but it will all become clear. I wanted you to be able to see the front door so you can see him enter, so you can see him for the last time and because I know that death is easier to accept once you have a body, you taught me that." His smile sent chills down her spine, the hair on her neck standing up as the fear rippled through her.
He leaned in close to her, placing a kiss on the tape that covered her mouth, "you'll thank me later my dear. Be sure to keep your eye on the door now, I wouldn't want you to miss it, it would be like missing our child's first steps." He walked out of the room and it was suddenly quiet. She tried to look around but her forehead was taped to the chair, forcing her to look directly at the front door. She was in a room across from it and the door was pulled part way so she could only see part of the entryway.
The house she was in was furnished, occupied, but this was not David's house, where was she? She closed her eyes for a moment, she could smell a musty scent and maybe a trace of something fishy, then it hit her, water, she was near water. She strained but confirming the absence of waves it must be a lake and not the ocean, no sound of people, it must be somewhat secluded. She tried to rock the chair but it didn't move, she was completely and very tightly tied or taped in place.
She didn't know how long she sat there, time ceased to move, it was so quiet she wondered if David was still in the house. She lifted her head as she heard the car on the gravel drive, sweat beading on her forehead she tried to make noise, then realizing it would just bring him running, which is what David wanted, she forced herself into silence. Please Booth, concentrate, find him before he sees you, please. She heard the click of the door handle turn ever so slightly and watched, frozen, as it slowly opened. He stepped in and she could see him, her chest filling with an ache at the sight of him, his eyes scanned the room and locked on hers. She saw his lips form her name and his head begin to turn before snapping forward when the first shot rang out. His eyes grew large and he staggered from the impact as the second shot exploded in the room. He hit the floor with a sickening thud. Temperance was frozen, eyes round, all systems falling into shock. She saw David then, walk into her field of vision, near the place where Booth's body hit the floor. She watched as his arm extended and at close range he fired.
Temperance Brennan passed out.
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Okay readers, everyone try to take a deep cleansing breath before you review and remember, the story isn't over.