Hi everybody again,

Here is the eleventh chapter of my story. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: as always, Bones is not mine…

OF ARMS AND HEARTS...

Booth managed to make her lie on her couch for a few hours, although she was reluctant to do it. He didn't really want to leave her now, but he must do it. He wouldn't be able to stop if things went further. He knew that very, very well. And, besides, she was really exhausted. But when he insisted in making her rest she just said that she had work to do. She was a little rough, and he wasn't sure if that was because she wanted something more or she was just trying to hide something from him.

But she finally lied on her couch facing its back. Booth had just thought that she had fallen asleep, and had left her office to let her rest properly. But she wasn't sleeping. She just needed to think, and to think alone. She was so stunned by what had just happened that some time had to pass before she could focus on her thoughts again. The taste of his lips was still on hers, messing her tidy mind and making her skin turn goose bumps.

When she heard him leave her office she turned to lie on her back, and just kept staring at the ceiling. She couldn't get the "I love you" out of her head. She couldn't believe he had said that to her. It would be nice, yes, but being together wasn't a good idea. When she was able to think rationally again, and she was aware of what had really happened, she got angry with herself for not being able to see it coming. And what's more, she wasn't able to react to stop him. But, being honest with herself for just a moment, she had wanted this to happen long ago. She had really, really wanted it. But that wasn't the point, because they just couldn't be together that way. It was too dangerous. He had drawn a line between them. In fact, her logic told her that he was right when he spoke about that line. That line, or whatever he wanted to put between them, was there to protect both of them of being used against the other from whoever up to no good, and to make them keep objective no matter what could happen. And after his faked death she had built one solid stone wall between them. It wasn't as if it couldn't be nice being together, and sure it wasn't as if she couldn't do her job and have a relationship at the same time. She could compartmentalize very well but since the surgery she had seen her ability diminished drastically as far as Booth was concerned. She was beginning to understand that maybe, just maybe, she was feeling something different for him. Somehow, her so solid, reinforced-concrete-built-and-stone wall was cracking, and that scared the Hell out of her. She needed to do something about. She wasn't going to let herself go just because it seemed a beautiful thing. She was a practical woman, and she thought that to succumb to something as irrational as that feeling people called love was unproductive and useless. She could be more objective in her life and in her job not allowing it to guide her.

But Booth was right on one thing: she was exhausted, and she fell asleep a few minutes after all that thinking.

Booth headed to the upper platform just to be alone. He was feeling like a teenager. That woman had the power to put him over the edge. She was so bullheaded, so stubborn, so obstinate, that he just didn't know whether kill her or kiss her. He let himself to smile at that thought. The memory of her lips, so soft, so brave… he needed time to calm himself down a little, before facing someone else. He knew too that they should talk again sooner or later. Maybe it'd be easier now, he thought.

After an hour or so Booth came down again and stood at her door, not daring to open it. He was just watching her sleep when Angela came looking for them.

"Hey"

"Hi Ange."

"Are you ok, Booth?" She saw an odd expression on his face.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just remembering all that had happened today. But I'm ok."

"I have something you both need to see."

"She's asleep. Do you want me to wake her up?"

"No, it's not necessary. It's just the first results on the hospital videos. I have some new images where our guy appears, but there's just very few of them, and I'm not sure if they will be helpful at all, but…"

"Ok, let her rest a little more. Maybe I can help you with those images."

"Ok, let's go to my office." They headed to her office in silence. Angela was waiting patiently for him to tell her what had happened, but he remained in silence. When they were entering her office she couldn't wait more.

"Well, are you going to tell me how was your talk with her or not?"

"I'm not sure if I want to talk about it right now…" He said, blushing a little. But Angela was just as good reading people as he was, even better when love was in the air.

"Booth…" She said, as a mother could say to her child when he has done something wrong.

"Ange, I just… I don't know… how to explain it to you…" He replied a little frustrated. This other woman was inquisitive.

"Just spill it out!"

"We argued… as usual these days, s-she was just being so stubborn that…"

"You told her!" She said, with a big grin on her face.

"What?" He couldn't believe this woman… Angela was reading him as he was an open book.

"Come on Booth! Don't try to deny the evident!" She replied. She was enjoying this, that was for sure. He turned around for a moment, trying to decide to say it or not. But he thought it was pointless to try to lie to her. Sooner or later she was going to know everything.

"Ok, yes, I've told her I love her, happy?"

"What more?"

"More?"

"Of course! When you tell someone you love that someone, you expect something in return… What did she say?"

"Nothing. She's just scared, as you said. Before anything happened she told me that she didn't want anything to change between us, but she didn't tell me why. In fact, now I'm thinking about it, maybe I didn't give her a chance to tell me…"

"Wow, wow, wow, Booth!!!" She was about to start jumping.

"What? I didn't tell you anything yet and you're going apes!"

"Anything yet? So there's more… go on, please!!!" She was sure what Booth was going to tell her, and was really excited about it.

"Ange…"

"Ok… just let me guess!"

"I already know what you're going to ask me… do you know you're worse than a teenager?"

"Well… what's the answer so?" She asked impatiently.

"Yes, I've done it."

"What exactly have you done? Tell it! I need to hear it!"

"Ange…"

"Just tell it now!"

"Oh… God… Ok" He said resigned "I've kissed her…" He couldn't go on, because Angela hugged him, wagging in excitement.

"Angela!, please, let me breathe!" He said.

"Oh, sorry!" She said, letting him free again. "I'm just sooooo happy for you guys!"

"Wait!" He said, trying to calm her down a little. "We still have to talk about this. I don't know how she's going to react when she awakes. She knows how I feel about her, but she hasn't told me anything about how she feels yet... I don't want to start shouting about it..."

"Well, the worst that could happen would be her denying her feelings for you…"

"Ange… don't jump to hasty conclusions…" He said in a doubtful voice.

"I'm not doing such a thing… I know what I'm talking about. Don't forget that being outside of your minds I have a better view of the whole situation, and I can be more objective than you two… But of course, she won't agree with me, because she'll tell me she can extract her feelings of the equation and be as objective as me."

"I'm sure those are literally her words…" They both smiled at that statement. "I've thought that too. I know her, and I know that she's not a woman who likes to be pressured when you talk about her feelings."

"You're right. She just doesn't understand what she's feeling, and even less, why she's feeling the way she does. That is what scares her the most. She's all brain, and there's where you have a lot of work to do, she needs to learn how to work with her heart."

"Well, let's wait until she awakes. It's useless to jump to conclusions before to talk to her. So… and changing the subject… show me what you've found." He said.

"Yes, you're right." She then played the first sequence where the murderer appeared. "Ok. This was recorded at 3:00 am on the hall. We see our guy talking with the receptionist. Then he heads to your room. The cameras recorded all his way to there. He talks by his phone almost all the way." Booth was getting anxious seeing the unworried expression on his face. This was the sequence where he called Brennan the first time. About a minute later another sequence appeared. "Here we have agent Harmon. He was walking through the corridor, I suppose to keep himself awake. Here he turns the corner. A few steps later that bastard attacks him from behind. He didn't have a chance to defend himself." She said, as they watched how the killer injected all the content of the syringe in his neck and then Harmon fell unconscious. "He drags him through the corridor to the wardrobe and returns to your room. But you two aren't already there."

"Watching these sequences I see things clearer now. We ran away just when he attacked Harmon round the corner. That was why he wasn't there."

"Yes, exactly." Another sequence was playing now. "Now we have the attack to you. He goes downstairs two minutes after you both did. Look at that..." She said with fear in her voice. voice. "Here you knocks the first man out with the door, and when Brennan is picking the phone he opens the stairs door and catches her," a few moments in silence, just watching the screen "he shoots at you and she hits him, she puts between you and him," Booth felt his pulse go faster in this part "and then the other agents appear and he runs away through the stairs. He goes two floors down, and then enters a room. There's nothing more after that about him. Just the agents searching the building."

"Haven't you found any images of that man before today in the videos?" Booth asked.

"No, nothing really clear. I have a few images of possible matches, but I can't be sure if anyone of these men is him. I have paid special attention to the places in the hospital they were, but there's nothing unusual. I'm running the test on the university videos now, but I haven't any results about them yet. I've sent his face to the FBI, and they are searching in all of your databases for him. Maybe we're lucky."

"I hope so." In that moment Booth's phone rang.

"Booth"

"Booth, it's Perotta."

"Hey, how is Harmon doing?"

"Very well. He's already awake. But I'm not calling you because of that. We have two more bodies, and this isn't going to be pleasant, especially for you and Dr. Brennan."

"It's never pleasant to find a body, Perotta!"

"I know, but our guy has attacked again tonight."

"Are you sure has been him?" At that statement Angela raised her head and looked at him.

"Yes, absolutely. There was another message in the crime scene."

"Oh, God... I see... what is this son of a bitch telling her this time?" Booth asked half ironic half angry. Angela was now just staring at him impatiently.

"No, the message is not for her... it's for you." An awkward silence. "Booth... I know you're not full recovered, but this is getting worse. You shouldn't be involved in this case, but it's going to be inevitable..."

"Perotta... don't run about the bush! What has happened? And what does that message said?" He interrupted her impatiently.

"I've arrived here fifteen minutes ago. The agents have found two victims, male and female, in a house with two floors. The male was found in the lower floor, in the hall in front of the door. He has a big knock on the head that it's the probable cause of death. His head is... well, just… crushed. The female was found in a bedroom upstairs. Booth... she was... she was..."

"Perotta..." Booth insisted. Perotta took a big breath before going on.

"She was beaten and raped brutally, and stabbed to death, multiples times. Booth... this woman... this bastard made sure she suffered every minute... he showed no mercy at all..."

"Ok, I get it!" Booth knew this had to be very, very harsh. Perotta was an experienced agent, and difficult for anything to affect her this way. But she was really worried. "What about the message?" He asked.

"This time is just a paper note. He wrote it after killing them. It's addressed to you. Do you want me to read it to you now? I don't…"

"Please!" He replied impatiently.

"Ok. It says "To my annoying Agent Booth: I'm going to kill you slowly, and I'm going to enjoy every second watching you suffering in my hands. And after that, nothing and no-one will be able to stop me to be with her. I let you imagine all the things we are going to do together without your irritating presence. By the way, I want to inform you that I'm going to go on searching for poor substitutes of her, until she sees sense and comes with me. It's not the same, but it soothes me, so... while I can't be with her, I'm going to go on with this. It's part of my torture for you both. This way you can feel guilty for let these women suffer and die, because it will be entirely your fault. Insincerely yours" dots, and nothing more." Perotta ended. Booth felt the anger boiling in his veins, but was speechless. Perotta was right, this was getting worse every minute. Angela saw how Booth's face was changing as he was listening to what Perotta was telling him. "Booth? Are you ok?" Perotta asked.

"Yes, yes... s-sorry... could you please send to the Jeffersonian all the evidences to be analyzed here, including the note?" He said, trying to sound as calmer as he could.

"Of course. I'm going to call Dr. Saroyan to inform her about these new crime scene."

"Ok, thanks for calling, Perotta."

"Booth..."

"Yes...?"

"We'll catch him. You can be sure of that. Sooner or later, we'll catch him."

"Better sooner than later, don't you think?" And then he hung up on her.

"Booth... what's happening?" Angela asked with impatience.

He just remained in silence a few seconds watching the image on the screen. It was stopped on one of the killer's face. "This man... if I have to call him man... has killed a couple today. I suppose he was angry because he couldn't get Bones, and he entered in a house, knocked the man, and then he beat, raped and stabbed the woman." Angela was holding her breathe hearing him speak. "But that's not all..." He took a deep breath before going on. "He has left a note for me, this time. It says that he'll kill me and he'll go on killing more people until he gets Bones... that's in short..."

"Oh my God, Booth..."

"Yeah... but... let's wait until Perotta sends all the evidences here for analyze... I... Do you mind if I left you finish with the tests? Just call me when you have the results of the university videos, ok?"

"Booth... are you ok? You know if you want to talk, or if you need anything, you just have to ask, right?" Angela said to him.

"Yes, I know. Thank you Angela. I have to wake Bones up and tell her what has happened. I want to tell her by myself. I don't know how she's gonna react. She's feeling bad already with the death of Karen Lindberg and that bastard trying to kill me, and now this... This is going to be really, really difficult."

"Yes, you're right." She said.

Booth left her office and headed to Brennan's head bowed. He opened the door trying not to disturb her. He made no sound closing the door too. He rounded the couch and kept watching her sleep. She was curled up with her back touching the back of the couch, as she was trying to warm herself a little. Booth saw the worried expression on her face and thought that not even in dreams she was relaxed. He crouched down in front of her and placed a stubborn lock behind her ear with his left hand. His touch was so soft that she didn't wake up, but her face relaxed in the same moment his fingers touched her face. He put his right hand on the couch to keep the balance. She seemed to feel it in her dream and just moved her hand to catch his arm. She just hugged it as a child would hug a cuddly toy. He couldn't help to smile lightly, and just let her do it. She seemed completely relaxed now. He sat on the ground, and leaned his right side on the couch. He stood in that position for some minutes, feeling the warmth of her body in his arm. The back of his hand was touching lightly her belly through the blouse she was wearing. He just let her sleep a few minutes, more to himself, because her rhythmic heartbeats were calming him down a lot.

But he needed to wake her up, he had to tell her what had happened. He knelt and touched lightly her face to wake her up.

"Bones…"

"mmm…"

"Are you awake?" He asked in low voice. He tried to take out his arm of her grip, but she just hold it tighter.

"I don't know…" She answered with her eyes still closed.

"Bones… I need my arm back…" He said softly. She opened her eyes.

"What?" She answered sleepy. And then she was aware of the situation. Booth was knelt in front of her and she was holding something in her hands... his arm… "W-what…? H-how I…?" She just released his arm and sat on the couch. She didn't understand how his arm had ended between hers. But she was furiously blushed. He noticed it, of course, but said nothing. Just sat on the armchair and let her clear her mind.

"Bones…" he started doubtfully "something has happened."

"mmm…" She answered rubbing her eyes.

"He… he has done something…" She said nothing, just stared at him. "He has killed a couple, right after escaping from the hospital."

"What…?" She just said.

"He has killed a man knocking him on the head and then he has…" He didn't know how to tell her. But she needed to know what had happened.

"Booth!"

"He has… killed another woman." He didn't want to tell her the details of the attack yet.

"That isn't everything, right?" She said.

"What?"

"If he had just killed a woman you wouldn't feel so nervous by telling me."

"You're right… that's not all… I haven't all the details, but Perotta has told me enough for the moment. He has left a message addressed to me, this time." She was about to say something, but she just remained in silence. "It says that he's going to kill me to get to you, and that he's going to go on with all this shit until he gets you." He just waited for her to say something but she didn't say a thing. She just stood up and went to sit to her desk.

"Bones…" He stood up too and looked at her.

"What has he done to her?" She asked dryly without looking at him.

"Bones… why don't we wait until Perotta gives us more details?" He wasn't sure if she needed to know that right now.

"Booth… what has he done to her?" She insisted. Booth breathed deeply before telling her what Perotta had told him before. "He hasn't just killed her, right? If all of you are right, the most logical is that he made her suffer a lot because he was mad at me, for not being able to take me."

"For someone who doesn't like psychology you're applying it very well now."

"This has nothing to do with psychology, Booth. As I said, it's the most logical option. So am I right?"

"Yes, Bones. You're right." He bowed his head again. He knew she needed to know every detail, and she was going to know everything one way or another, either from him or from Cam, or from Perotta. He thought that he preferred to be him who told her, just for her to be prepared when Perotta came with all the lurid details. "Ok, I just know what Perotta has told me in short, I have no detail yet. He beat and raped her, and then he stabbed her several times. Then he wrote the note he left there for me. That's all I know by the moment." An awkward silence followed that last sentence.

"Why don't you take a nap now, Booth? I-I have to talk to A-Angela and you must rest too. I'm sure we're going to be locked here a lot of time." She said. She was trying not to look at his eyes. She was trying to hide the worry that was painted on her face. And besides, they have the other subject, and he also knew she wouldn't talk about it willingly now. He knew that very well. He didn't want to press her to talk about it. But he wanted her to know too that he wasn't going to let her run from that conversation.

"Bones…"

"I'm fine, Booth."

"No, you're not." He said. She raised her head to look stubbornly at his eyes. "Nothing is gonna happen to you, ok? I'm not gonna let him get close to you." He told her staring at her blue eyes. "And…this is not your fault, you understand me? Don't blame yourself for this…"

"I know it's not my fault." She replied turning her eyes back to her screen.

"I know that you know it's not your fault, but knowing it it's not going to make you not do it."

"I'm ok, Booth. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not going to go anywhere outside the lab in who knows how long… so I'll be perfectly safe here." She looked at him just for a second. "I have a lot of work to do." She said standing up.

"Bones, wait a minute, please." He told her. She just stopped by his side without raising her eyes from the floor. "I-I'm sorry for before. I mean…" he saw an odd expression on her face, and knew it hadn't sounded very well "what I mean is that I'm sorry if you feel like I'm pressing you in some way. And I-I know you don't like when I go all alpha male, as you always says, with you. I'm sorry for that too." She didn't say a word, nor move a muscle. "Bones… look, I mean what I said to you, ok? I'm not sorry for that…" She remained in silence but looked at him. He saw a deep sadness in her eyes. This was going to be really hard. But he knew too that this wasn't the right moment to have this conversation. "Bones, we need to have a talk about all this, but I understand it's not the best moment right now. I just want to ask you for two things." He said. She didn't answer him with words, but with her eyes. "Please, don't run away from me. If you don't really feel that way about me, it's not going to be a problem, but please, d-don't… r-run away. We'll find a way to cope with this." He said. He took a deep breath. This hadn't been easy to say. She bowed her eyes again.

"That's just one thing." She said not daring to look directly at him.

"Yeah, I know. The second is, please, be honest with yourself, and with me. Don't go hide in your shell, because it's going to eat you from the inside slowly, and believe me, it's not a good thing." He said. "Don't try to rationalize your feelings. Feelings can't be rationalized, they wouldn't be feelings if so. They'd be just chemical reactions in your body. But that's not feelings. Feelings are just what those substances make you think. You feel happiness when you laugh, and I know it's because something has made you laugh, and that is making you produce all those substances of yours, and then you feel happy. But you feel happy because you have laughed before, not because of those substances…" He told her. He took another deep breathe. "Bones… whatever you decide to do, you must know that you're not going to lose me, ok?" He said, ducking a little in front of her and leaning his head to the left to make her look at him in the eyes. "Ok?" He asked her, insisting to her to give him an answer. She just kept staring at him, not raising her head. "Bones, I'm gonna get a neck pain…" He said. Then he saw her start to smile shyly and stood up again, smiling a little too.

"Booth… would you mind… lend me… your arm again?" She said blushing.

"In fact, yes, I mind."

"What? Ok… I see…" She said disappointedly.

"You haven't understood me, Bones…" He said, taking her into a tight embrace. "I lend all myself, if you don't mind…" he spoke right to her ear, making her shiver a little. They remained in silence for a few moments, just enjoying the warmth of the other.

"I just want all this shit to finish! I want to catch that…" She said against his shoulder, but he interrupted her softly.

"We're gonna catch him, Bones. Don't doubt that. We're gonna catch him, and we're gonna go on with our lives." He just closed his eyes and held her tighter.

To be continued...

Hey... I'm sorry, I'm late!!

I hope you're enjoying to read this story as much as I'm enjoying to write it!!

I love you, guys!!!!!!

Please, review... I love all your opinions... good or not good... everything is welcome!!!