Okay, this one is short, so since I feel so badly for not updating in such an obcenly long amount of time, I will post chap16 tonight as well. Okay...

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Breathe. Should you have to remind yourself to breathe?

Breathe.

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Most people would have screamed, or fallen to the ground or simply stood there trembling. Not April.

Booth's bullet left his gun a fraction of a second before Rodger pressed his remote and it was over before it began. With a .38 bullet lodged in his skull, Rodger dropped the remote and fell along side it, finally releasing April in every sense of the word.

That's where April differed from the norm. Seconds after the shot, her ears still ringing, still gasping for air that now smelt of gunpowder and still shaking off the feeling of the bullet whizzing by her ear, April wasted no time.

As soon as she felt Rodger's arms go lax, April turned around to watch him fall to the ground, a tiny trickle of blood rolling down the side of his face from where the bullet had entered directly between his eyebrows. With only a moment's hesitation she swung back her booted foot and slammed it into the corpses ribs with as much strength as she had, which granted, wasn't much. She stumbled and glared at his dead eyes.

"Bastard."

Agents again flooded the house and Booth shouted for the Bomb Squad while he re-holstered his gun.

"We're workin' on it!" Someone shouted in return. He turned back to April, who stood still, clutching one arm to her chest, her eyes glued to Rodger's corpse.

"April! April are you alright?" Without a second thought he grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her away from the body. "April, don't look at him anymore. Look at me, talk to me Sweetheart."

She knew it wasn't the same. She knew when Booth said it he meant it, he said it because he cared. She knew it was different than when Rodger called her 'Sweetheart' or when Rodger took her shoulders…but it didn't matter.

April jumped out of his grip and pressed her back up against the wall.

Booth watched as her dark eyes turned stony, and the vulnerability and relief vanished, leaving only a cool exterior strength. A façade.

Walls. I hate the walls! Why do all the women I love have so many damn walls?

"Agent Booth the Bomb Squad is on their way."

Booth barely acknowledged the other agent, but instead stepped toward April, wishing he could wrap her in a strong hug and ensure both her and himself that it would all be all right.

April's eyes went to a spot on the floor and Booth followed them to Rodger.

"Don't call me sweetheart."

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It kind of figures that I'd get numb now. Now that I'm more or less safe, still have a bomb strapped to my leg, but other than that…I've got Booth and Dr. Brennan here, I should be more emotional. The man kidnapped me and beat me! I should be hysterical now that it's okay to do so. Instead I feel like my brain is disconnected from my body because, as I stare at Rodger, I suddenly know that being afraid was easier when I didn't know how not to be…and suddenly, now, I want that security back. That ignorance.

I want to know it's all really truly over…

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"Booth!" Brennan took off from her place beside the SUV and ran toward the house in nothing more than jeans, a sweater and heels, much to the chagrin of the SWAT teams that were watching.

They'd all heard the gunshot and held their breath, hoping it really was a gunshot and not something else.

Brennan waited, and when nothing seemed to be happening, she joined the group of armed men heading toward the house, trying to keep her panic under control.

"Booth!"

April and Booth turned to see Brennan pushing her way inside the house past black-clad FBI agents.

"Bones you shouldn't be here."

"Booth are you okay?" She interrupted. "Is April?"

Booth shrugged and watched closely while the paramedics addressed her injuries.

"Talk to her Bones." He said after a few long moments. She gave him a look that made it abundantly clear that she didn't think that was a good idea.

"What? Why do you want me to talk to her? Why can't you?"

Pain filled his eyes and she waited, "Because she's afraid of me."

Brennan's eyes widened. "How do you know…

"Because I'm a man, Bones because something I did or said reminded her of him. She won't let me come near her. Please Bones." He gave her his most sorrowful smile and she finally agreed, as if she could deny him anything.

"I hate psychology." She muttered, making her way over to the wall. She kneeled down to be on eye level with April, who slowly met her gaze.

"April…are you ready to go?"

Okay, the next chap will be up momentarily.