Seeley Booth had been a sniper with the Rangers. He had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He had killed over fifty people to save the lives of others. He had been an FBI agent for more than a decade; he had been stalked, chased and hunted by some of the country's most dangerous men.

But leaving Dulles Airport without Brennan by his side was the hardest thing he had ever done.

It was nearly two hours after their plane landed before he finally walked through the doors and into the chilly DC air. He had talked with security at the airport and as he left, the FBI was still searching the area for any evidence of what had happened to his wife. He was relieved that there was no evidence of blood in or around the restroom where he had last seen her.

He borrowed a vehicle from one of the FBI agents on the scene and headed toward the hotel where his mother was staying. On the way there he phoned Angela and told her what had happened. He asked her to keep Christine until he could figure out his next move.

Booth was angry. Angry at his mother for coming back into his life. Angry because he knew that her reappearance in his life had something to do with the fact that his wife hadn't made it back from their honeymoon with him. That she was out there somewhere and there wasn't anything that he could do to help her.

Booth was scared. Scared that Bones had been hurt. Or worse. Scared that he would never see her again. That his baby girl would grew up the same way her parents had: without a mother.

Booth was also hopeful. Hopeful that his mother somehow wasn't involved. Hopeful that he had made a terrible mistake and that Bones was fine. That she was still at the airport waiting for him, that he had just overlooked her. As hard as he tried, he couldn't get himself to believe that last one.

Booth pulled into the hotel parking lot on two wheels. He had driven the twenty miles with the lights and sirens on the vehicle. This garnered the attention of the tourists staying at the Marriott. He ignored their stares as he ran through the doors and up the stairs to his mother's room. He didn't have time to bother with the elevator.

George opened the door as Booth pounded on it. He and Hester had been waiting for him; they already knew what had happened. The disappearance of Dr. Temperance Brennan, New York Times best-selling author, from a crowded airport had made the headlines of the six o'clock news. Before the man could speak, Booth grabbed him by the collar of his button up shirt and slammed his back against the wall.

"Seeley," his mother called out, desperate to make him calm down.

"Where the hell is my wife?"

George couldn't speak; Booth had his throat constricted within the twisted fabric of the shirt. Booth pushed him harder into the wall, "You did this. Now you tell me where she is."

"Let him go, Seeley."

Booth did as he was told, the much smaller George collapsing in a heap on the floor beneath him, struggling to catch his breath. Then he approached his mother. "You too. What have you done? Where is she?"

"Seeley, I don't know."

George had composed himself and walked to stand behind Hester. "Yes, you do."

"Look, I don't understand anything about the two of you have said about this Facility place. I don't give a damn about The Leader or whatever he calls himself, but you both need to start explaining right now." Booth's face was red and the veins in his neck were bulging.

"I told you not to contact your son Hester, but you insisted." George directed the words at Hester but his eyes were still locked on Booth's.

"Did they take her to wherever the hell you two came from?"

"More than likely," George said but Hester reminded silent.

"Call them; tell them to send her back."

"It isn't going to work that way."

"Then what's going to work?"

"I should have gone back. They took Temperance because I didn't go back. That's the only way they'll return her." Hester felt bile rising in the back of her throat as she realized that she alone had caused this. Had it been up to George they would've returned well before The Leader realized that they had made contact with Seeley.

The reality of the situation smacked Booth in the face and he took a step back from his mother. "No. Maybe it wasn't them, I just assumed. It could have been anyone. We work a lot of dangerous cases. I'll call the Bureau, have them start running some names. He picked up his cell phone to dial and it became obvious how hard his hands were shaking.

"Seeley," his mother placed a calming hand on his arm, "That would be too big of a coincidence. It has to be because of me."

He put the phone back down by his side. "Then George will contact them, explain the situation. They'll send her back. You keep saying that they're good people."

"Good is a relative term Agent Booth. They won't hurt Dr. Brennan but they won't negotiate either. The only chance we have of getting her back is going back ourselves."

"You're sure that they won't hurt her?"

"I'm certain."

"Then we have time. We can work out a way to get Bones back and let Mom stay too. Tell me where this place is, I'll go talk to them. I'll call in a whole damn SWAT team."

"I can't tell you that."

"Mom?" Booth's eyes plead with his mother to give him an answer.

"I couldn't even find it myself Seeley."

"But you can," Booth's face was angry and he stepped toward George causing him to stumble backwards into the bed. He fell down on his back and Booth towered over him. "Where is The Facility?"

"I'm very much afraid of you Agent Booth but I'm more afraid of them. I cannot tell you where your wife is. If I give you the location of The Facility, they'll kill Temperance. And then they'll come and kill both me and Hester as well."

"Not if you can't communicate with them. Give me the cell phone."

"I don't have a cell phone."

"You're a horrible liar. I've seen you with a cell phone. Now tell me where it is." George continued to resist as Booth forced his hands into the older man's jacket pockets. He pulled George back into a standing position and practically ripped the jacket from his shoulders, slinging it across the room as his search for the phone came up empty. "It's going to be your pants next, come on, make this easier on both of us."

George reached into his pant pockets and turned them inside out, proving that they were empty. "I got rid of the phone. I never keep a cell phone for long, I don't like the idea of the government being able to track my location."

"And I don't like the idea of someone kidnapping my wife." Booth dragged George by the shoulders until he had him cornered against the back wall of the room. "You've got one last chance to tell me where she is."

"I won't. We'll leave tomorrow and they'll send Temperance back. It's the only way. I will not let you destroy The Facility. Too many people need the help they provide. People like me and your mother."

Booth didn't lessen his grip on George's arms as he cast a glance toward his mother. Seeing the tears running down her face broke his heart but she had brought all of this on herself. She should have never contacted him if she knew it would put his family at risk.

George struggled, trying to free himself from Booth's grasp but his hold was much too strong. "You have to trust me."

Booth's glare tore through the man like shards of glass. "Why the hell would I trust a bastard like you? You've been holding my mother hostage for thirty years. And she isn't the only one. Do not tell me to trust you."

"Seeley, that's not true. George hasn't been holding anyone hostage." Hester carefully approached her son and laid a hand on his back.

"Stay out of this Mom."

Hester took a step back, sitting down on the bed.

"George Santora you are under arrest for kidnapping and impeding a federal investigation." Booth began to pull him from the room.

"Seeley, don't do this. Please, we'll go back."

"This asshole is going to pay for what he's done."

"I should have left sooner." Hester's voice was timid as Booth walked back into the hotel room five hours later.

"Well you didn't. And now you have to help me. If we can't go get her then we need a plan to get her back." His eyes were emotionless and it terrified Hester.

"I'm not sure that I can. You have to believe me when I say that all I know is that The Facility is in California. And I didn't know that until we left to come here."

"Yeah but you know how the place works. Your boyfriend holds up quite well under interrogation, he won't tell us anything."

"They won't hurt him will they?"

"They shouldn't. But I can't be sure."

"Seeley please, I love him."

"I guess we're both in the same situation then, aren't we?" His anger was controlling him but his heart still tore at the thought of how it was hurting his mother. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"I need to go get my daughter. Then you're going to help me figure out how to find my wife." As he led his mother toward the door he noticed Brennan's coat lying on the dresser. He had forgotten that he had brought it with him earlier, that he had held it since he was looking for Brennan at the airport, only dropping the coat when he accosted George.

Hester sensed the change in her son as he saw the coat and she tried to reassure him. "It's warm there."

He shook his head and snorted, "It's warm in prison too. I guess we both have our small comforts."

As they turned into the driveway of his home Booth saw a man standing and pacing on the front porch. Turns out that Hester and George weren't the only ones watching the news.

Booth wasn't sure he'd ever been happier to see Max Keenan.