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Chapter 9

They both returned to Booth's apartment after they'd finished eating. Despite the cereal Booth had several hours before he was still starving and wolfed down a slice of pie. Brennan however picked at her fruit cup, moving the berries around not interested. But after a stern look from Booth she reluctantly finished the small tub.

Cautiously Booth rang Angela and had her meet them, telling her that they needed a secluded area to talk in private.

A knock sounded on the door and in entered Angela, who Booth silently warned about the topic matter. Telling her that she may be in shock but to look passed it, as Brennan needed their support. He led her into the sitting room to where Brennan was sat waiting, shifting this way and that. She was physically unable to stay still as the nerves penetrated her solid façade. As she saw her friend she managed to give her a weary smile as she sat next to her turning so she could face her.

Meanwhile, Booth got a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and sat them on the coffee table. As he sat in the armchair, purely there for support, he gave Brennan an indication for her to start and that everything will be okay.

"Ange, I knew the person that attacked me."

"What! Then you have to call the police and make him pay, honey. I mean look at you."

"It's not that simple. I knew him; I loved him like a brother. He protected me when my family couldn't. I can't do that to him, I just can't…."

"Why Bren, if he was like a brother why would he hurt you? I don't understand sweetie."

"He went to jail to save me Ange. I-I killed our foster father and he took the blame a-and I let him," she said peering up from her lap to gage her best friends reaction. "I don't know what happened to him after that. But there must be a reason for this," she exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

"I don't know what to say…." At that Brennan moved to get up, only to be engulfed in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what you had to go through."

"I didn't mean to kill him Ange. I was scared."

"I know. It's okay," she told her as the tears she'd been holding in broke the barrier.

"But you don't know what happened. How can you possibly say its okay?"

"Because I know you. I know you wouldn't hurts someone unless you needed to." Angela then pulled free of the embrace and looked to Booth, "So what's the plan?"

"Well we need to watch the footage, Bones doesn't remember that much. We also need to look for a vehicle and a face would help."

"Just give me some Internet access and I'm on it, " she said then turned to Brennan, "we'll fix it sweetie, I promise," she watched as she nodded her head. "Can I borrow your laptop?" again a nod as she stood to retrieve the devise.

Angela immediately opened the laptop and gained access to the Jeffersonian server, then started typing as the duo watched. Within moments she had gained access to the file of Derek Ryan, as she skim read it she let out an audible gasp.

"What, what is it?"

"He has been in a sanatorium basically since his arrest, with a diagnosis of early on set schizophrenia."

"Schizophrenia?" Brennan said as she thought back to that terrible day.

Derek Ryan sat in the back of history listening to Mr. Roland Thomas drown on about historical past events. He wasn't listening though; he was doodling on the back page of his exercise book. That is until he was interrupted.

"Just leave. We both know this idiot doesn't know what he's talking about. Plus who needs to learn about the past."

"What?" he said looking up from his doodles. When he saw no one talking to him he did a mental shrug and carried on doodling.

"You're boring kid."

"Shut up!" he exclaimed looking up, "If you don't wanna be here then leave, but I'm staying," he said to the person next to him.

"Dude what are you talking about?"

"You just told me to leave, that Mr. Thomas doesn't know a thing. So stop it!"

"I didn't say anything."

"He didn't say anything," the girl next to him defended.

"Derek is there a problem?" Mr Thomas asked having heard the conversation.

"The problem is that he's a bore, go on kid tell him."

"Shut the hell up!"

"That's it detention after school Mr Ryan, I wont be talked to that way."

At that he visible sagged in his seat, he needed to go home. He needed to be there so Temperance didn't get hurt.

"I'm not staying. I didn't do anything! He was talking to me," he said motioning to the kid across from him as his anger flared. "You're all against me. Is it because I'm a foster child?"

"You are going to the detention. Now stop talking back, Derek. You should have learnt by now, what is it your 3rd detention for talking back this week? I am sick of your excuses too. Now let me teach."

"He got the detention for talking back," she said stunned, "That could have been the start of it. Talking back due to hallucinations, paranoia, flattened emotions, lack of motivation are all symptoms. He has schizophrenia. I should have seen it," she said shocked.

"Bones you were just a kid, do you really think you could have spotted it? I mean on top of that he was a teenaged boy in an abusive home with strangers."

"I should have seen it Booth!" she spat angrily as she stood up and started pacing. "I saw it. He stopped talking to me as much as he used to. I heard him mutter under his breath on several occasions. I saw him initiate fights with Mr. Rodgers. I'd ask him why and he would say that he started it. I kept telling him he didn't say anything. I'm so stupid."

"It says that he vanished for the facility about a week ago and that he's dangerous."

"When he took me he was talking to a voice in his head, that's why the conversation seemed so one sided. He's being pressure by the voice, the illness. I need to help hi, I need to find him."

"We don't know where to find him. We need to wait until he finds us. That's the only option," he then spun and took the picture Angela had printed. They had to wait, but wait for what outcome?

Sorry it took so long. I have no excuse; just unmotivated I guess, but I have now regained my motivation :) Let me know what you think…

Elly xx