Title: Baring It AllAuthor: Tom's ggChapter: 14/?Chapter Title: Wreck of the DayCharacters: Brennan/ BoothRating: M - Strong Sexual ContentSpoilers: none
I do not own the characters- that distinction belongs to FOX… but God I wish I did!
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This one is for the ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS- CSI-4077 (L) You rock my world!! Happy Birthday to You!! (A Day Late- Sorry!!) Have a drink on me!! (I prefer Tequila shots w/ Corona chaser!)
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Brennan paced the hall as Booth leaned back against the hospital waiting room wall and flipped his poker chip. They had been waiting for over two hours for word on Agent Romero. In the last 36 hours they had had their car blown to pieces, and Brennan had almost been run down by a speeding car… if Booth hadn't shoved her out of the way in the nick of time, she would have been seriously injured, if not killed.
Now Agent Romero was lying on a gurney somewhere down this hallway with a bullet in his shoulder that was meant for one of them, probably Brennan.
"Don't you think we should have heard something by now?" Brennan quizzed.
"I think we'll hear something once Romeo is ready for them to tell us something," Booth grumbled.
Booth didn't like the edge of concern in Bones' voice. She barely knew this guy for Christ sake. It's not like he'd ever gotten blown up for her. So… he took a bullet, it's not like that wasn't something Booth himself hadn't done.
"Bones. I hate to be the one to state the obvious-"
"I know Booth," she affirmed. "Obviously, someone thinks I know something."
He grabbed his chip out of the air one last time and pocketed it. "Maybe you do know something. Maybe you just don't have all the pieces to have that something mean anything yet."
Brennan looked at him with her usual, 'what the hell are you talking about' grimace. "I don't know what that means Booth. I don't have any evidence. I have a few small bones. We know who the victim is and that she obviously wasn't part of any Mayan sacrifice ritual. We also know she didn't belong down here in Mexico. Other than that… (she shrugged) we don't have anything."
Booth grabbed her arm as she paced by again. He led her to one of the many chairs in the empty waiting room. "Why are you here?"
She stared at him blankly. "I wanted to see the rest of the artifacts from the site."
"No Bones," he shook his head. "Why are you still here. You saw all of the remaining artifacts the first day. You hadn't been back to the lab again until two days ago- the first time someone attempted to kill you, by the way. Why are you still in Mexico? What are you looking for?"
She looked off into some distant unseen place. She'd finally understood his meaning, and he could see her work the problem in her head.
"I don't know… something about the site itself… the photos. In my early years I spent a lot of time on Mayan sites. There are just certain consistencies that you expect… certain features, placements… there is just something off at the Well. I can't quite put my finger on it."
Booth nodded his encouragement.
"But I don't know anything Booth. I don't have any evidence. It's just a-"
"Feeling," he finished for her. He smiled at her, a bit of smugness.
She wanted to punch him for just a moment before she let loose a throaty laugh. "I am going to be kicked out of the AAFC. They don't actually recognize following your gut as an approved method of investigation."
Booth wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close. He touched his forehead to hers and mumbled gently, "No. But at in the F.B.I., they may just give you a commendation for it."
They were still seated there with their foreheads pressed together; Booth was about to tip his head… just a bit… to plant a longing kiss on her lips, when someone cleared their throat. "Dr. Brennan- Agent Booth? Will you come with me please?"
The two lovers each jumped back. Booth's hand instinctively went to his belt where his holster should be. There was nothing there.
"Who the Hell are you," Booth scowled.
"Agent Francisco Alvarez. I work for the Agencia Federal de Investigación with Andrew Romero." He pulled a badge out of his waistband and held it out for the two to examine. "Would you please follow me?"
Booth and Brennan followed Agent Alvarez down a series of twisting and turning corridors. Long past the surgical wing they had followed Romero to, and past what looked to be any serviceable part of the hospital.
Booth was about to comment, when they reached an exterior door. Agent Alvarez promptly opened it for them, and stood aside to allow them to pass. The door led to some type underground parking facility. An ambulance was parked with its rear doors adjacent to the building.
Agent Alvarez moved to the ambulance as soon as both Booth and Brennan had passed through to the garage. When he opened the ambulance rear doors, they saw Andrew seated in the back with his arm in a sling. He eyed them both solemnly.
"Dr. Brennan. Agent Booth. Get in please."
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The ambulance weaved its way through the tight streets of Mexico City. The threesome were silent for a bit.
"You look like you survived," Booth finally broke the silence. "So… you wanna tell us where we're going."
Andrew tipped his head toward the front of the vehicle to indicate the driver who was barely visible. "Indeed, Agent Booth. The bullet missed any vital organs, and it doesn't appear to have done much damage internally according to the doctors. Thank you for your concern."
The two men smiled at each other in acknowledgement. It was inevitable that there would be a certain amount of rivalry between two such highly competitive, high-achieving males. Despite that, there was also a great deal of respect and camaraderie. They both fought on the same side of a very difficult war; good versus evil- the villainous versus the victims.
The ambulance took them to another parking facility on the outskirts of town. A large SUV with heavily tinted windows was parked in the first stall. The driver parked the ambulance in the loading zone and walked around to let the three passengers out.
As they approached the SUV Andrew threw Booth the keys. "You drive."
Brennan took her place in the passenger seat, and Andrew wordlessly climbed in back.
"Head East," he finally said once Booth had the vehicle pointed out of the garage.
Andrew seemed preoccupied for the first ten minutes of the ride. His attention remained on the road behind them. Suddenly, his phone rang. There was a short conversation which consisted mostly of grunts of acknowledgement or emphatic 'No's' on his end. When he hung up he began to speak.
"We are headed to Tampico. We will be met there by helicopter. There are only four people within my government who know where you currently are, and only three who know where you are headed.
The helicopter will take us North to the U.S. border where we will be met by agents from your government.
It has become very clear to myself and my superiors that someone wants you dead, Dr. Brennan. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to get you out of our country, as soon as possible, before you become a permanent resident in one of its many graveyards."
"But we're not done with our investigation," Brennan argued. "We need to figure out what it is they think I know if we're going to figure out who tried to kill us."
Romero scowled. "Frankly, I am less concerned with finding out who is trying to kill you than ensuring that they are not successful."
"He has a point," Booth interjected.
"Booth? We've never run away from a case. Never. How can we start now? What? Am I just suppose to let this girls parents go on not knowing what happened to their daughter?"
"I'm not convinced all the answers to the puzzle are in Mexico, Bones. I think we need to spend some time getting into Charlotte's life. That was in the U.S."
Brennan thought quietly for a moment. "You may be right. We need to know why she was in Mexico in the first place, and what the 'big story' she was working on was."
'Would that be your gut talking, Bones?" Booth chuckled merrily as he navigated the truck up the highway to Tampico.
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It was past 10PM when the helicopter landed in the desert just across the U.S. border outside of Brownsville, Texas. There were several government vehicles and a U.S. military helicopter waiting for them.
Romero had all of the required documents which allowed him to accompany them to their final destination. He was ultimately headed to Washington where he would be assigned as a Special Liaison for a while. His superiors thought it best to get him out of the way for a bit, until the dust settled.
They next landed in, what looked to Booth to be, the middle of the Arizona desert. It was well past midnight. There was a lone vehicle. It was a large SUV, but Booth could clearly see that it wasn't government issue.
As they approached Booth realized that there was an elderly woman at the wheel. Brennan's face lit up once she saw her, so it was obviously someone she knew. She took off toward the vehicle at full sprint.
As soon as Brennan reached the truck she ripped the back door open. Booth could see just over her shoulder, and there sat none other than Noanie Gibbs.
"Hey-ya sista… I heard you got yourself in trouble," she smirked.
The two woman hugged tightly. A tear rolled down Brennan's cheek. The elderly woman got out of the car and also received a tight embrace. All Brennan could think was- 'It's good to be home.'
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My God it feels good to have MUSEY back and be writing on this story again! Lots of twist and turns still ahead!
Aren't you glad to see Noanie? Everyone wave and say 'Hi!'
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Anna Nalick - Wreck Of A Day