The Girl From North Carolina
Chapter Five
Angela
When you wake in the morning, you're only warm because Jack is holding you so tightly. You made love for hours the night before, trying to distract yourselves from what is currently going on. You spent the day searching with Brennan, and when she finally convinced you to go home you sat in Juliette's room and cried until Jack got home from spending the day with Booth.
You shift in his arms, and he pulls you closer and tangles his fingers in your hair and you smile because that means he's awake. "Jack..."
"Shh." He whispers, burying his face in your neck. "Let's go back to sleep."
You laugh for the first time in days and press a kiss to the top of his head. "Hodgie..." He pulls back to look at you and you let out a soft breath. His eyes are red and the vibrant blue that usually stares back at you is much paler and slight grey. "Oh, Jack...did you sleep at all?" He shakes his head and you kiss him softly, cupping his cheek. "Why, sweetie?"
He shrugs. "I was watching you sleep." You smile softly and he sighs. "I think I was a-a little afraid something would happen to you if I fell asleep."
You shake your head and guide his head back to the crook of your neck. "Nothing is going to happen to me." You say softly, rubbing his back. "I'm not going anywhere." You feel him start to relax and you kiss the top of his head. "Everything is going to be fine."
§
Dr. Zach Addy
The box arrived first thing in the morning, you know because you were asleep in Angela's office when Dr. Saroyan came in with it, asking you to open it even though it's addressed to Jack and Angela. You've been living at the Jeffersonian since Juliette disappeared. You can't bring yourself to go back to Hodgins' place, not until she's been found. You hate cases like this, the ones that involve kids, and you usually try to distance yourself but this time you have to help.
The problem is that it's really starting to get to you. Brennan told you to treat it like any other case, but it's hard. You've spent time with her, watching Cary Grant movies and talking about how much she wants to be like Angela when she grows up.
What makes the whole thing worse is the smell when you open the box. You dump it on to the table and have to try really hard not to vomit. A finger (male, mid-forties, clearly not Juliette's) spills out from among the bloody cloths. You process everything you're supposed to, and then you sit in the nearest chair and take a deep breath. You aren't really sure what this is supposed to mean, but you know it's not good. When Cam arrives back at The Jeffersonian an hour later, you show her everything, but she doesn't seem to be paying any attention.
"They've found a body." She says softly, and your throat starts to close up. "They won't tell me anything about it, but depending on how decomposed it is..."
"It's not her," You say softly. "It can't be her."
"Zach..."
"It won't be her." You shake your head slowly. "It won't."
§
Booth
The dogs found the body. You called Bones in and she identified the body as female, early teens, though she wasn't sure how long dead. You sent her home afterwards and had the body taken back to The Jeffersonian. Cam hung up on you when you told her.
Now you're knocking on the door of Hodgins' mansion, your heart banging in your chest. The butler opens the door and you introduce yourself and ask for Angela.
It takes nearly ten minutes for Angela to come in to the foyer and when she finally does she looks terrified.
"Booth," she swallows. "What's going on?"
"We found a body a few miles from here. Bones identified it as a teenage girl." You watch her face call and you reach for her hand. "The body is on the way to the lab. Cam and Zach are going to examine the victim, and..." You stop talking because her hand is over her face and her body is shaking, so you pull her in to a hug and she starts to sob. "We don't know that it's her, Angela. It could be..."
"It could be someone else's little girl." She sobs and you nod.
"I know."
You hold her for a little longer and then Hodgins comes in to the foyer and she turns and folds herself into his arms.
"What happened?" He asks softly and you hear Angela whisper something and he hugs her tighter.
"I'll call you when we know." You say softly, and turn to leave.
"Wait." Angela turns around. "I want to go."
"Angie..." Hodgins touches her shoulder. "I don't know, baby."
"I want to go. If it's Juliette I want to see her and if it's not, I want to help."
You look at Hodgins, who shrugs, so you nod. "Okay, Angela. I'll wait for you." She smiles and kisses your cheek before heading up the stairs to change.
Hodgins grabs his jacket from where it was hanging next to the door. "I'm coming too."
"I figured." You look at your watch. "How about I meet you guys there? Will that work?" Hodgins nods and you leave, getting back in the SUV just in time for your phone to ring.
"Booth."
"Hi." Brennan's voice comes softly over the line and you let out a soft sigh. She sounds pained. "Have Cam and Zach found anything yet?"
"I don't know, Bones. They probably just got the body."
"Oh."
"If you want to come, you should. Angela is coming."
"Okay."
"She might need you."
"Yeah, okay." She's silent on the other end and you start the car and shift into reverse. "Booth?"
"Yeah, Bones."
"What if it's her?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
§
Dr. Camille Saroyan
"Female, 14 years of age, dead around 12 hours." You choke out the words as Angela, Hodgins, Booth and Brennan stare back at you. "Dr. Addy is having the dental records checked out at this time."
Angela, who has been staring at you since she came in, finally looks down at the body and lets out a breath. "I don't think it's her."
"Ange..." Brennan grips her friends hand.
"No, really. The nose is different." Angela looks across the body at you and smiles. "It's not Juliette."
"Do you think you could draw her face?"
"Of course." Angela leaves the room and Hodgins lets out a breath.
"I hope she's right." He says, rubbing his hands over his face.
"She is." Zach comes in to the room and hands you the dental records. "The victim is 14-year-old Meghan Andrews. We've got dental record confirmation but no picture."
Hodgins lets out a sigh of relief and hits his knees next to the table. You watch Booth run out of the room and head for the front door of The Jeffersonian, already on his phone. Things kick in to high gear as your team throws themselves in to the new case, hoping to distract themselves from the still missing member of the family.
Out of the corner of your eye you see Zach telling Angela about the finger that came in a box this morning, and she takes it from him and heads for the vault. He starts to follow, but you stop him, tiptoeing after Angela on your own.
You watch as she heads to the skeleton at the back of the vault, taking the middle finger off of the right hand and replacing it with the bone in her hand.
"Okay!" She shouts, staring up at the mirror in the corner. "That's what you wanted, right? Now give her back." Angela takes a breath and you bite your lip. "She's no good to you, please. Please give her back." She bursts in to tears and hits her knees and you kneel down next to her, hugging her tightly. "I need her." She whispers. "I need that little girl more than anything."
"I know, Ange." You sigh. "I know."
§
Juliette
It's dark. It's always dark. The blindfold has been on for days...you don't even know how long it's been at this point. You've managed to sleep a little, but it was never the kind of sleep you needed. You would dream about Angela and Jack, about how you got in a fight with Jack about the stupid balcony doors, about how you were mad at Angela for leaving while you were still in your first week of school. All you wanted was to see them now, to get a bear hug from your soon-to-be stepfather and a genuine whisper of 'I love you' from your mother. You miss Zach and the stupid winter cap he wears, Booth and the way his eyes shine when he talks about Parker, Tempe and the way she always says, "I don't know what that means". You miss Cam and her facial expressions, Jack's love for dirt, Angela's artwork. Most of all, you miss your Mommy.
When the man you're with escorts you to a vehicle you start to get scared. You haven't spoken the whole time, refusing to give him the time of day, so you have to fight a serious urge to ask him where he's taking you. The car ride seems short, and when he helps you out of the van, you can hear the apology in his tone of voice. "I'm going to get back in my car now. Count to 15 and then take the blindfold off. Do you understand?" You nod and he squeezes your shoulder. You wait until you hear the car pull away (at about 7) before taking the blindfold off. You turn around and sigh, because you have no idea what kind of car would be driving away from you at this point, and since there are about 15 heading away from The Jeffersonian, there's nothing you can do. You head up the front steps and shakily ask the guard to call Angela Montenegro.
"You're the missing girl, aren't you?" He asks.
"Yes. I-I was just dropped off."
"By who?"
"I-I don't know his name." You start to cry. "Please, can you call my mom?" He nods and you sit down, slipping off your shoes. Your big toe hurts, and has bled through your sock. You remember running into a wall trying to find your way to a bathroom, but you didn't know how badly you'd damaged it.
You hear a clicking of heels and then a soft gasp and you look up, tears streaming down your face. "Mommy."