Vigilante Justice

Author's Notes: Well I got my "one" reviewer to keep writing this for… and a whole lot more! It was great hearing from all of you B&Bers out there. So awesome to see how much we are ALL obsessed with Booth and Bones! Let's go see what's happening in Deep Creek…

Chapter 4: Finding Dad and Russ

Dawn was breaking across the eastern rim of the mountains as Booth came down off the ridge road and into the shadowed valley of Deep Creek Lake. Beautiful, green, and isolated, and yet close enough to DC to be a popular getaway, rambling villas lined the steep, forested shores on both sides of the water. The town itself was little more than a marina and a gas station with a grocery store attached, but though tiny it was picturesque and prosperous, thanks to big city money that flowed into the valley out of the pockets of D.C. area residents.

It was no wonder that an FBI Assistant Director like Andrew Carson had a vacation home here. A popular weekend destination among the powerful of DC, it was isolated enough to provide the perfect hideaway for a man with a former life to hide. Booth looked down at the address Caroline had found for him after a lot of digging. It was located several miles from the marina and gas station where he and Brennan were enjoying some coffee and doughnuts. After napping in the car for the last two hours, Bones looked a bit more rested, but not much. Booth was exhausted.

Brennan pulled out her phone and wearily placed another call to Russ. She sat up straight when this time someone answered. But it was not Russ; it was Max.

"Dad! It's Temperance. Why are you answering Russ's cell phone? Is he okay?"

Booth leaned in to hear what he could.

"Russ is asleep," they heard Max say. "He needs the rest. He was banged up pretty good when his car ran off the road. Where are you, sweetheart?"

"We're having breakfast in Deep Creek."

"Where?" His voice was excited.

"At the doughnut shop across from the marina—why?"

"I'm on my way."

Brennan looked at Booth after the call ended, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"They're here. I promise I'm not going to start crying again," she said with a wry grin, seeing the purely male dread on Booth's face. "Dad's on his way to meet us."

"That's great," Booth agreed. He suddenly looked infinitely weary as the adrenalin of the last twenty-four hours finally ebbed out of his system. Brennan finished her coffee, walked around to his side of the table and took him by the arm.

"We can wait in the car, Booth," she said, gently urging him out of the shop with an arm around his waist. They climbed into the car, Booth still grasping his half empty coffee cup. Bones took it out of his hands and put it in the cup holder.

"You need some rest, too," she observed. "As soon as Dad gets here and we find out what has happened since you last talked to him, let me check us into a motel so you can get some sleep."

"That sounds fantastic," he agreed longingly. "But where? I don't see a motel anywhere around here. Hey, look. That was quick. There's Max."

Across the parking lot, an old faded red Chevy sedan had pulled in and Max Brennan climbed out, looking around him cautiously as he walked toward Booth's car. From long years of habit, he always looked like he was evading someone. He climbed in the back seat, still looking around as if he might have been followed.

"Dad!" Bones exclaimed, leaning awkwardly through the gap in the front seats to give him a hug. He returned the embrace and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm so glad to see you," she said. Her eyes were shining suspiciously bright.

"Don't cry, baby girl," Max pleaded.

"Uh-uh! Don't tell her that," Booth said, waiting for the water works to begin.

"Booth," she hushed him. "Dad, how are you?"

"I'm fine now that I'm with you."

"Okay, how about we take the mutual admiration club somewhere else other than a public parking lot. I shouldn't have to remind you two that this is not a safe place to hang around, not the Brennans on a mob hit list."

"Russ and I have rented a cabin for the week. Follow me." He gave Brennan's arm another squeeze and then climbed out of the car, jogging back to his vehicle. Booth followed the red sedan down the valley highway to an overgrown dirt path. Once Max turned, his car was almost immediately swallowed from their view by the foliage.

"Great," Booth muttered to himself, gingerly following after him and cringing as he listened to multiple branches scratching along the side of his beloved vehicle.

"Do you hear that? Do you know how much that is going to cost me to fix? Max owes me for this," he grumbled at Brennan as they wound their way deeper into the wilds of Deep Creek Lake. The path widened into a clearing and they entered a sandy yard that ended at a circular drive. In front of them stood a small cabin almost obscured by vines and brush. Max had already parked and come up to Brennan's side of the car.

"Come on in," he told them. Booth stumbled along behind as they followed Max into the little house.

"We've rented this cabin for the week from some outfit called the Shenandoah Rustic Resort Company."

"Are they bankrupt?" Booth asked cheekily, staring at the rundown front porch and a pile of bricks that appeared to have tumbled down from the chimney.

"It's rustic," Max emphasized. "That's its charm."

"Oh yeah—charming," Booth wisecracked, following Max inside. Max chuckled and shook his head, turning to Bones. "Tempe, Russ is asleep in the back bedroom."

"Max, what are you planning to do here in Deep Creek?" Booth asked bluntly. He had already settled on the sofa with his legs sprawled out in front of him.

"We need to talk, I agree. But you and Tempe should get a few hours of sleep first. You can't keep going forever. I know where Carson is and he isn't likely to run in the next day or two. He thinks he's safe here." Max smirked.

"I'll let that slide until we've had some rest," Booth said. "Where?" He asked next, looking around the small dwelling.

"There's another bedroom in the back. You two take that; I'll stay out here on the couch."

It didn't seem to bother Max that he'd just sent Booth and Brennan back to the same bedroom. Booth barely noticed, either. He staggered into the room Max had indicated and all was quiet within a few minutes. Brennan turned to her father and glared.

"Now, don't go worrying yourself into hysterics, Tempe," he warned. "I know how you have to have everything all figured out before it even happens. It's going to work out; you'll see. We'll talk after you and Booth have had some sleep. Go on."

"Alright. I'm so glad you're okay, Dad," Brennan admitted. His expression softened. He stepped in front of her and cupped her face, kissing her forehead with infinite tenderness. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, peace seeping into her psyche for the first time since the whole awful ordeal had started.

"Go rest."

Just as she turned to go, the door to the other bedroom cracked open.

"Tempe?" Russ stood in the darkened bedroom doorway. His voice was hoarse and filled with pain. She turned, anxious to see her brother. He limped into the room, his eyes fixed on her, and didn't stop until he reached her. Wordlessly he hauled her into his arms and held tight.

"I was really scared for you," she whispered. She rubbed his back and let him hold on as long as he needed to.

"It's okay. We're all okay," he assured her.

She pulled back and took a long look at him.

"Are you sure nothing is broken?" she asked, disbelieving, looking him over. His face was badly scratched up, one eyebrow was split open and bruising and he was favoring his right arm.

"It looks worse than it is. The car rolled so I got thrown around a bit. I'll feel a lot better soon— but right now, everything hurts," he said. He sounded almost apologetic. He turned to the nearest armchair and with a barely stifled groan, carefully lowered himself into it. Brennan watched, her eyes filling with sympathy, and then went and knelt beside him.

"Promise me that you and Dad won't go anywhere or do anything until Booth and I wake up," she demanded in a trembling tone.

"We'll be right here, Tempe. Where am I going to go? I can hardly move. Don't worry so much. Hey, I'm really sorry that I upset you."

He gazed at his sister's pale face and tight expression. "Go get some sleep; we'll be here when you wake up, okay?"

"Okay." She stood and reluctantly made her way to the bedroom, looking back at Russ as if to make sure he hadn't vanished yet.

"Good night—morning; whatever," she mumbled before slipping into the back room.

Booth was sound asleep, just as she'd expected to find him, given how exhausted he was. He'd been asleep on his feet for the last hour. The sun was trying to filter in through the curtains so she went and pulled the shades all the way down. Kicking off her shoes, she carefully lowered herself onto the mattress next to Booth so as not to wake him. The pillow was soft; in her fatigued state it felt heavenly—so deep; so inviting. Her muscles sagged into the mattress as if every bone in her body was rejoicing to finally be resting.

Startling up into a sitting position from a deep sleep, it slowly dawned on her that what felt like a minute ago had actually been hours. Booth was asleep on his back with his arms and legs sprawled in every direction. One long leg was flopped across hers; that was probably what had disturbed her sleep.

She took her time looking at his face. Brown waves of thick hair framed his strong features. She admired the line of his jaw, his high forehead, his soft yet purely masculine lips. His physical symmetry was quite pleasing to the eye, something she had told him once as a compliment but he hadn't appeared to get it. Reaching out with one finger, she dared to lightly trace his collarbone. The memory replayed in her mind of Booth breaking out of the hospital with Hodgins and rescuing her just as Kenton was poised to kill her, and all with a broken collarbone from being in a bomb blast earlier that week. He was her hero, something she'd die before admitting out loud to him. He didn't need any encouragement, she thought wryly; he was cocky enough already.

He stirred but his eyes remained closed when she lightly touched his hair and took her time feeling its silky fullness. She'd wanted to touch his hair for a long time, and the urge had a tendency to strike at the most inappropriate moments. Like when she was standing behind him helping him interrogate a witness, or when they were poring over human remains in the lab. Now here was a stolen moment, free of any restrictions, that she was determined to make the most of. Leaving his hair, her fingers lightly glided down his cheeks, so feather-light she could just feel the soft stubble tickling beneath her finger pads. When she reached his lips she reached out with an index finger and hesitated, a millimeter away, wanting badly to trace along their contours but afraid she would wake him. But at the very moment when her fingertip made contact with the crease of his mouth, he shifted just far enough over to kiss it.

"You're awake," she whispered, dismayed, her cheeks burning.

"I was having a great dream," he whispered back, staring up at her, his eyes slowly focusing and sharpening into awareness. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

Instantly bashful, she started to sit up and move away from him, but his hands shot out and grasped her arms, holding her in place. With an irresistible pull, he began to close the gap between them. His eyes lit with an intensity that Bones wasn't ready for, and she froze. He suddenly realized what he was doing and let her go.

"Sorry. I don't think I'm completely awake yet." He sat up and turned away from her. After a moment, he looked at her, unsure what to say.

"Bones, I—"

"It's okay; I started it after all. You're very attractive. Let's just forget it. Come on."

"Why do I suddenly feel like the girl in this scene?" Booth asked, easing the discomfort between them with a joke.

"Booth!" She couldn't help laughing. "Come on; let's go talk with Dad and Russ."

Max was sitting in front of the fireplace with his glasses on, reading a newspaper. Russ was half-lying on the sofa, but he sat up when Booth and Brennan came into the room. Max put down his paper and took off his reading glasses.

"I hope you two are rested," he greeted them.

"Never better," Booth affirmed. Taking a seat next to Russ on the couch, he left the rocking chair for Bones.

"So… we have a problem." Booth said, cutting to the heart of the matter.

To be continued