Disclaimer: They still belong to FOX. But as they have time off for the summer, they can as well star in my little story, don't you think?

Oh my, you guys. Are any of you readers left? You probably thought I wouldn't continue this, didn't you? Well, I could make up excuses, but I'm going to be honest: too little time, too much writer's block – even I wasn't sure I could keep this up.

But, as you can see – I finally got my act together and so today I give you (insert happy clapping here) Chapter 10! Enjoy!

(You might want to re-read the last chapters so you remember where we left.)

Zach and Jack were busy doing yet another beetle race. Since they knew that Booth was going to be ok again, the tension of the last almost two weeks had vanished, and they happily took advantage of the fact that Dr. Brennan was still absent from the lab. It gave them time for more exiting experiments which usually weren't accepted – or, as Angela called it with yet another sigh, "time to play stupid games".

Jack cheered while his beetle crossed the finish line in front of Zach's. "There you go! Told you he is a winner!"

Zach shrugged. "Mildred just needs some more training. Her physical abilities are way more convincing than his in my opinion."

Jack laughed and patted Zach's back. "You can say what you want. Harvey is superior. As you just saw."

He walked over to Angela, who was staring at her computer screen, while Zach gently looked at his beetle and mumbled something that sounded like "don't listen to that old guy, Mildred."

Angela looked up when she felt Jack standing right behind her. He kissed her on the head. "So, how are you doing over here, beautiful?"

Angela smiled. "Pretty good. I'm almost done with updating those files. I thought I might..."

She stopped as her cell phone started ringing. "Hello?...Oh hi, Sully. Haven't heard from you in days, I almost thought you don't want to have anything to do with us. ... Excuse me? Oh, no, he's doing much better. ... Yeah, Brennan is still with him. All the time. I'm sorry, that's probably awkward for you, isn't it. ... Well, I say that because you always ask about her. And you avoid visiting Booth because you know that's where she is. ... Ok, you're right, let's not go into that. So are there any news?"

Jack and Zach had both moved close to her by now, trying hard to overhear what Sully was saying on the other end of the line. Angela frowned and pulled the phone away.

"...Really? When did that happen? ... So you are gonna go there now? Maybe I should... Well, yes, I know, but...man, don't you have any faith in me?"

She looked frustrated. "Ok, Sully, but call me ASAP when you find something. Promise me that. ... Yes, ok. I'll tell Booth. But you really have to sort things out with Brennan. This is getting annoying. ... OK. Bye Sully."

Jack and Zach stood in front of her with questioning looks on their face. Angela put down the phone.

"Guys, they might know where Julio is. Some informer said he spotted him in another part of town, so that might be where he is hiding. Cullen and Sully are going there right now."

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Back at the hospital, Seeley Booth was sitting in a wheelchair at the small table in his room, with his mother Laura in a chair at his side. Bones had agreed to help his dad, who had gone to get some things from the hotel, as his parents where about to leave for Philadelphia this afternoon.

It gave mother and son a welcomed opportunity to talk about what was on their minds - and Laura Booth still had a lot on hers, for sure.

"Seeley, are you sure it is ok if we leave? I mean, maybe your dad can talk to his boss and get some more days off. I'm sure he will understand."

Booth shook his head. "That's sweet of you, mom, but you really need to go back. You guys spent your whole vacation in this lousy hospital room, you really need to be home. You're totally exhausted."

Laura gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You're sure you will be ok? You really scared us, Seeley. "

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I'm fine, well, at least I'm getting there. I just can't stand that you and Bones forget yourself all the time while taking care of me. I'm getting a guilty conscience."

Laura smiled. "You know you don't have to. So ok, we'll drive back to Philly today. Maybe we can come back for a weekend in a couple of weeks and see how you're doing." He nodded.

She looked him in the eyes. "So how are you and Bones coming along?"

Seeley bit his tongue. They had told no one about what happened that night last week. He knew that there was something going on between himself and Bones, it really had been the beginning of something very deep. But he also knew that their relationship was still fragile, with all the stress of him still being in the hospital and attacker still on the run. They needed time and space on their own.

But then again, this was his mom. You don't lie to your own mother, do you?

"Well, we are... I'm happy she's around, you know? She's been wonderful to me. She is a very special woman."

That didn't really spill the beans, did it?

Laura chuckled. Oh, she knew exactly what was going on. And she approved of it. A lot.

She liked Temperance Brennan from the beginning, and she was pretty sure that she and her son would make a perfect match.

She decided not to push the issue, though. They had to find their own way, in their own time. She was pretty sure everything would work out fine.

Michael and Temperance returned soon after. They sat together for another couple of minutes, before Booth's parents decided to get on their way. It was a difficult to say good-bye, especially for Laura, but she knew it was the for the best. While giving Bones a big hug, she whispered in her ear: "Take good care of him. I know you will. You are what he needs right now, girl."

Bones flushed. Michael giggled. Booth scratched his head, pretending he didn't really know what was going on.

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Agent Tim Sullivan was silent and contemplative while he and Cullen were driving to the abandoned and run-down apartment complex which had been mentioned by their informer. He felt bad about not having paid Booth a visit yet, though he was sure Booth understood. He had always felt the special relation between Temperance and Seeley. He had never thought though that they could end up as a couple – he had been sure that maybe, after a couple of month, there was a chance for himself to get back into Temperance's life.

But now, as he knew that she had more or less lived at the hospital for the last two weeks, he figured that he was out of the picture and things had evolved in a different direction.

Cullen watched him from the side. Never had he felt so much determination in Agent Sullivan's actions. He had always been a very good agent, but now, as this was about what happened to Booth, there was this burning ambition to find his attacker.

They reached their destination after a half hour of driving in silence. They were met by the mobile task force, as planned. They were not sure what kind of guy this was, but they were going to be prepared for all possibilities.

All the men carefully found their position in order to observate the said building's entry. He had to come out eventually. And then they would be there to ask him a couple of serious questions.

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In the dark and dirty room, Isabel sat in the corner and tried not to make a sound. Her cheek was still burning from what Julio had called a "valuable lesson" this morning. She had gathered up all her courage and asked him what he thought was going to happen. No way they could stay in here forever, could they? He went ballistic. She had always been scared of him, but this time, she really felt him going more and more insane.

There was no food left, which didn't seem to bother him, but there was also no water and – worst thing for Julio – no booze.

So by now, he was preparing to leave to get some more supplies. He had told her not to move, or she would have to face the consequences. When it was starting to get dark outside, he once more locked her up in their hiding place and left.

When she heard people starting to shout outside, she knew he was probably not coming back.

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"Come on, just a little bit further." Bones carefully supported Booth, while she and a nurse helped him to get back into bed from the wheelchair. Even that was enough to pretty much exhaust Booth. He still wasn't allowed to put weight on his leg, which made it hard to move around. He felt weak – and it frustrated him.

After the nurse had left, Bones gave him a reassuring smile while she sat down next to him on the bed. He sighed.

"I can't stand lying here any longer. This is driving me totally insane."

She leaned on him. "But you're getting better so fast. The doctor sat your progress is astonishing. Your shoulder is all better already and everything else is healing nicely as well. You heard him, maybe you can go home as soon as next week. That's great!"

He nodded, but still looked unhappy."Yeah. Can't wait. Can't wait to walk out of here, except – walking is not exactly what I would call this, would I." He gave the wheelchair next to his bed a disgusted look.

Bones sat up. "You're being unfair. You need patience, ok, but please, don't be so mad about the situation." She moved her finger down his cheek. "You'll be walking again in no time."

She moved closer to him, their foreheads touching and their eyes staring right into the other one's. He finally managed to smile.

"Ok." he said. "As long as you're walking right next to me."

She giggled as their lips met each other.

It wasn't a good time for Bone's cell phone to ring, but as hard as she tried to ignore the constant beeping, she just couldn't. She climbed off the bed, whispering "I'm sorry..." and grabbing her purse in order to look for the phone. Finally she found it.

"Brennan."

"Tempe? It's me, Angela. I'm sorry, I hope I am not disturbing you."

Booth stretched himself as good as he could, trying to get a hold of Bone's shirt and pull her back to the bed.

"No Ange, it's ok. We were just... well... is it anything important?"

"I guess it is. I had a call from... Cullen's office. They probably got the guy who hurt Booth. They were informed where he is hiding and they managed to take him into custody."

Bones closed her eyes. Booth stopped pulling her shirt, looking at her anxiously.

She swallowed hard.

"I'm coming to pick you up. Be there in half an hour."

She put down the phone before Angela could protest and grabbed her purse, clearly shaken.

Booth gave her a puzzled look. "What did she say?"

Bones kissed him on the cheek. "They got him. The guy who shot you. And I'm going to go and take a look at him. Actually, I want to look him straight in the eyes. After all, he's the guy who almost destroyed your life – and therefore, mine."

Well, we are pretty close to the ending of this little story, but there's still a little more to come. I hope you guys stay with me. This time, I'm not going to let you wait for such a long time, I promise!