Car swarmed around the abandoned Sunshine warehouse. Booth stood in front of the specially trained FBI tactical team, giving them a basic overview of the situation and the plan. He was taking point; the other agents would follow him in and secure the location. A second team would enter at the same time as him from the back entrance. Several gents would remain outside, in case 'D' made a run for it.

"Everyone in position?" Booth asked through his radio when they were finally ready to enter. He heard several affirmatives in reply. "Okay, move in."

Carefully, he pried the door open, and gave the room a thorough scan before moving in. The air was thick and musty and the dust on the floor muffled the agents' footsteps as they spread out. Booth held is gun at the ready, and the others were following his example. Stealthily, he crept forward, and entered another room.

From there he could hear muffled sounds, leading him to believe he was close to Brennan's position. As he followed the maze of rooms throughout the complex, he was mentally preparing himself for what was waiting when he found her.

The sounds were more distinguishable now and Booth could easily make out a man's voice. He recognised the voice and almost punched himself when he realised that it was the man he had met on the elevator after visiting Brennan. He could have stopped this from happening if he had have waited just a few more minutes.

"Dr Brennan, I thought you'd be stronger than that. You only have a broken arm, a fractured collarbone, cracked ribs, a fractured leg, a fractured ankle and a couple of bruises. Buck up." The snide voice cut through Booth's self-hatred, and morphed it into hatred against the man who had hurt his Bones. Nodding at the tactical team, Booth kicked in the door.

"Back away from her now!" He called upon seeing 'D' with a knife poised over his partner's battered body. "Drop the knife, or I'll be forced to put a bullet through your head! I won't regret it! Move away, NOW!"

'D' backed away, a look of surprise on his face. He had planned the whole thing. Booth wouldn't know where he was, he couldn't. How could he? The team can't be that good!

"How? How did you find me?" He said, dropping the knife. "Why did you find me? I can't have underestimated you, I've been planning this for years!"

"Well, you'll have years to regret it too. You underestimated the lengths we would go to, to save one of our friends. And you underestimated me. You thought that just because Bones pushed me away, I'd stay away. You thought that Bones is like other people, who would destroy your letters. She kept them. She kept everything. And that lead us to you."

"I won't fail!" 'D' cried, pulling a gun from his pocket and aiming it at Brennan. Without a moment's hesitation, Booth shot the man straight through the heart. The gun fell limply from 'D's hand, and clattered on the ground.

Booth didn't care. He'd already rushed to his partner, and undone the restraints around her hands and feet. Gently, he stroked her cheek, calling for her to wake up.

"Bones?" He whispered, bending closer to her. "Bones wake up. It's me."

"Booth?" Brennan whispered in return, her throat too dry to say much. "I'm sorry."

"I know, Bones. Hey, I know." Booth whispered back. She whimpered, and Booth pulled back, casting a quick glance over her body, noting the various injuries. "What hurts, Bones?"

"Everything!" Temperance coughed, wincing as her ribs jerked. "Mostly my left side. I think I was kicked or beaten when I was unconscious."

"You need a hospital, Bones," Booth said. "You can't walk, can you?"

"No," She murmured. He hesitated momentarily before bending down and sweeping Brennan into his arms, careful to keep her left side away from his body. She slid her right arm around his neck; the other remained cradled in her lap. Booth stood up slowly and carried Brennan out of the warehouse.

EMT's swarmed around them when they emerged and Booth reluctantly released his grip on Brennan while they took her to the ambulance and went to debrief the squints and Cullen.

"We got an ID off 'D'. He's real name is Stuart Bronson. He was admitted to an institute a few years ago after being diagnosed as clinically insane," Agent Thompson said, joining Booth in debriefing the deputy director. Cullen nodded and turned to Booth.

"Booth, I'm guessing you'll want to join Dr Brennan on the ambulance. Go," He said, and Booth thanked him. He rushed over to join Brennan, grabbing her hand as the EMT's closed the door.

- - -

Hours later, the partners were sitting in a hospital room. The doctors wanted to keep Brennan overnight, due the extent of her injuries. Booth had chosen to stay with her. The room seemed filled with tension and neither Booth nor Brennan was willing to talk.

They sat in silence for an hour, longer then they had been together since the meeting with Sweets days before. Booth was the first to break the silence.

"Bones, I want to thank you for what you did for me," He said, and Brennan turned to face him.

"How can you thank me? I hurt you. I could see it!"

"You did it to save my son. That I am thankful for." Booth reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "I wish you had have told me, but I know why you didn't."

"I want to thank you too, Booth. You came, even though I was awful to you." Brennan closed her eyes, her mind flashing back to the room. Booth noticed, and squeezed her hand again.

"I'll always come for you, Bones," he whispered, kissing her head. "No matter what you say or do, I'll be there."

"Thank you, Booth," Brennan whispered back. Both knew that it was for more than just what he had done. Silence fell on the two once more, but neither cared. It was comfortable between them again.