The group dispersed to the lounge, while the entire security team searched the Jeffersonian, except for a group of around twelve guards, who surrounded the lounge. The four had wanted to help with the search, but had been blatantly denied by the head of security, who most likely did not want to look more foolish in front of his superiors by losing another person.

Angela had calmed into a submissive state by the time the head of security showed up again. He walked with trepidation as he approached. "'Our search for Doctor Hodgins has been fruitless. We must assume the worst." Brennan rose up from her seat to stand menacingly over the man.

"It is impossible that the kidnapper could have taken Hodgins without notice, let alone out of the building. Every exit is guarded, he can't be gone!"

The guard shrank back from the angry woman, while babbling excuses. Booth rose from his chair, and stormed as well as a person with broken ribs could towards the office Hacker was occupying. One guard attempted to stop him, but the look Booth gave him was enough to send a weaker man fleeing for his life.

Booth found the office, and wrenched the door out of the way. Instantly, several security guards surrounded him, but upon seeing who it was, they returned to their posts, to reveal Hacker sitting at the desk.

"I heard the news about Doctor Hodgins. May I offer my sincerest –"

"No, what you can offer is answers, alright, what the hell happened? You've got guards covering every inch of this place, and Hodgins still got taken, and what's more it is impossible that Hodgins couldn't have been taken from this building, unless there was a major breach in security."

Hacker rose from the desk. "Agent Booth calm down, nothing is ever accomplished with yelling –"

"Nothing is ever accomplished with you handling things! Look, my partner has said that Hodgins can't have left the institute, and yet the head of security is down there declaring that they've searched every inch of the place, and he is somehow disappeared off the face of the Earth!"

Hacker pounded his fist on the table. "That's enough Agent Booth! We are already breaking protocol by searching for these people before a twenty four hour time period has passed, and I'll be damned if the security isn't doing the best they can! The fact is the guy is slippery, and he probably found a way to infiltrate the institution undetected."

Booth glared at Hacker. "I thought that much was obvious, Andrew. I mean, these two people didn't just disappear on their own."

Hacker glared right back. "I think we should be interrogating that scientist of yours. I mean, it is all her fault this is happening, the least she can do is offer a little insight into exactly why these people keep disappearing."

Booth slammed his hands on the desk. "My partner has just lost three dear friends to a serial kidnapper, who is targeting everyone she knows for reasons she can't understand. She's been through enough without you putting her through the system."

Hacker brought his face forward. "We may not have a choice in the matter, Agent Booth. Our number one priority here is finding and securing the lives of three people, not the feelings of an unstable woman."

"If you even try and go near her… I will end you." And with that, he left the office, leaving Hacker to scowl at the place he had stood moments ago.

Booth went back to the lounge, registering the pain that had gone through him while threatening Hacker. He was still sore from the explosion, and needed more time to heal. Although it seems that his re-cooperation period was the least of his worries just

He reached Brennan, who was keeping an eye on her friend, and she stood up when he approached. "Booth where were you? We were getting worried." He said nothing but pulled her into his arms, and held her as though he never wanted to let go. He promised himself, there and then, that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. She was his number one priority.

When at last he pulled away, she looked at him and smiled. "You could have just mentioned where you were going." He breathed out, unaware that he had been holding his breath at all, and sat down on the lounge. He looked up at Brennan, and patted the seat next to him.

She slumped down and rested her head on his shoulder. "Angela's next." She said. Booth put his arm around her waist. "I know Bones." They watched Angela sleep, and spoke quietly, so as not to wake her from her much needed slumber.

"He's going to get her too." She said, It was the way she said it, like a commonly known fact, that worried Booth. She had lost hope. She thought that the kidnapper would get all of them eventually, and Booth hated that he agreed with her.

"How are your ribs?" she asked, conversationally. Grateful for a change of subject, he answered quickly, in a light tone of voice.

"Yeah, they're getting better. Still hurt like hell but… yeah, getting better." Brennan nodded, and yawned. She looked very tired.

"I don't want to sleep, Booth. I'm afraid that when I wake up, Angela and Zack and you will all be gone." Brennan stammered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Booth pulled her in to his lap, and put her head against a pillow. "Alright Bones, you can go to sleep now, and when you wake up, I'll be right here, keeping you safe. I promise."

Brennan wanted to say something along the lines of 'you don't know that I'll still be safe Booth.' But she was too tired to say anything. So she simply closed her eyes, and soon she was breathing evenly. Booth watched her as she slept, and traced the long curve of her jaw with his finger. She was beautiful, even with the tense look etched on her face.

He bent down and kissed her forehead, wishing the pain would go away. She visibly relaxed at his touch, and he smiled at her sleeping form, holding her body closer to his.

The kidnapper could see them, locked in their embrace. It was a pretty sight, watching her sleep. She was a beautiful creature, and soon she would belong to him. He already had two, and had managed to subdue a third.

Speaking of which, he had to go collect his third object. He left his post and made his way down towards the basement, to the closed exhibits. He had hidden it inside a cupboard from the second world war, as it would have been foolish to try and take it while all the guards were fully awake.

He opened the doors. The third was still unconscious, but he applied an extra dose of chloroform, before placing him in a body bag and dragging it to the ventilation shaft. He had de-activated the alarms long ago, and in this part of the Jeffersonian no one would even notice.

As he pushed the third through the shaft, he thought to himself with glee. "Soon, Temperance, soon we can be together. No one can come between us. No one…"

Alright, so Hodgins is gone, I added a little more angst, as well as some much needed B/B. Things are gettig pretty tense, so I released this one a day early. What's going to happen to Angela? We'll see. PLEASE REVIEW! It keeps my Squint insight running.

Until next time, my darlings, Charlotte :)