A/N: VACATION! And great grades so as I promised here's the new chapter!

Chapter 12:Friend or foe?

It was cold.
Complete darkness surrounded me.
I pierced my ears in the hope to catch a sound, but was greeted with an impermeable silence.

I had no awareness of my current state, well except that I was still bound and gagged, the time and orientation.
Was I still in the warehouse? Back in the car trunk? Or stuck in the ground?
As far as I knew, Patrick thought he'd killed me.
Which raised the question of what had gone wrong, to my luck.

I closed my eyes again, pretending to be asleep, or dead, as the door opened. I tensed as I heard Patrick's voice.
"I just don't see why we have to wait to move! That stupid low life nothing of an FBI Agent should be dead if you did your job right and I can most definitely get her to..." I continued to listen as he was interrupted.
"No, you can't! Three different FBI teams are on this one, Patrick! You can't move her without being spotted! For crying out loud we are in the middle of the city! There is no way you can..." The sound of the other voice was familiar, yet I couldn't place it before he was interrupted by Patrick again. "There is always a way. And in this case, it's my way or the highway. Got it?"

Footsteps neared towards me and I felt the presence of a body very close next to me.
I felt a ice-cold hand on my face and my eyes snapped open uncontrolled.
In front of me I saw the Face of Agent Roy Grace.

"You idiot!" He jerked his hand away, running towards Patrick.
"You gave her the wrong stuff!"
Patrick's gaze crossed mine, fury showing in his green eyes as he looked at me with disgust.
"The problem will be solved quickly," He said, pulling the gun out of Grace's holster and pointing it at me.
I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the gunshot but instead of the sound of a bullet, the corrupt agent's voice filled the room.
"Wait!" He halted Patrick.
Patrick turned around, facing his companion.
"What?" He spat.
An evil grimace played across Roy's face as he moved towards me, kneeling next to me and forcefully taking my face in his hand, forcing me to look him in the eyes.
"Think of all the fun we can have when she's still here."

Images of what Patrick had called 'fun' in the past rushed back and I shivered.

Oh please don't let it be that what he means.
"What do you have in mind?" My ex asked clearly interested.

Without another word, Grace got up and left the room.
Minutes passed teasingly slow and suddenly stumbling caught my attention.
The heavy metal door opened and someone was pushed inside, Grace holding him forcefully.

With a forceful push, the agent disposed himself of the other person, and when his groan filled the room, my body and mind started racing.
Booth!

My eyes snapped up at him. He was chained with the same rope and duck tape covered his mouth. Clearly worried, he eyed me and I gave a small nod, letting him know I was somewhat ok. Grace smiled triumphantly, elbowing Patrick.
"See, I told you it would be fun to bring him here."
Patrick nodded assent.

I kept my focus on Patrick, I felt panic rising inside of my chest at his words. "Well, Agent Booth," He said mockingly, "Let's welcome her home, shall we?" I looked at Booth, who was mumbling all kind of things, yet I couldn't understand him due to the piece of tape over his mouth. He was squirming against his bonds. "Oh, do you have something to say, Agent Booth?" He laughed evilly. "You know what Agent Booth? I'll tell you exactly," he emphasized the word, "what I'm going to do to her. Maybe that'll make you feel better."

Booth began withering again grumbling thinks of which I was sure they weren't very respectful towards Patrick or Grace.
I noticed Patrick got worked up since he started pacing and then turned towards my partner, who was still fighting against his bounds, slapping him in the face .
"You jealous, FBI?" He hissed. "Because I can have her, and had her and you don't?"

Patrick moved towards Booth, who didn't even flinch as the tape was forcefully removed from his mouth.
"Got something to say, agent?"
Booth growled at Patrick.
"If you even dare to lay one hand on her, sicko…I'll end your miserable life!"
Patrick laughed throatily.
"You see," He told Booth. "There are some flaws in your logic. One, I already laid my hands on her, several times as I recall and two, last time I did, you didn't do a freaking thing!"

"MONSTER!" Booth yelled, and I was stunned to see him throw himself at Patrick, his hands somehow untied and his fist now colliding with Patrick's face.

With a flash I saw Patrick pull out the knife he had used to cut off a piece of my hair, and thrust it towards Booth.
"Booth!" Both I and the corrupt Grace yelled, only my voice was muted due the gag that still covered my mouth.

A gunshot rang through the warehouse and stunned I looked up to find out that Agent Grace was the shooter and Patrick chocking on the ground. With widened eyes I saw him stare in wonder to Agent Grace and it seemed he finally understand what was going on, although I was still clueless. "Traiitttooorrr…" Patrick accused, the last breath he would ever spent.

Grace walked towards me, kneeling down till he was at my eyelevel.
He tried to touch my face, but I flinched, still not certain what to believe about Grace.
"Roy," Booth halted him. "I'll take care of her, you call in the teams and fill them in."
Nodding silently, Agent Grace walked outside.
Booth gently reached behind my head with the knife that was left onto the floor, cutting my gag.

"Grace's a good guy Bones. Actually it was his idea to gain Patrick's trust as a double agent. Since the moment we got the news that Patrick was on the loose, Grace regained contact with him by pretending to be interested in taking care of dirty jobs, like cleaning up after him and making sure there were no trails left. Without him..," I saw Booth swallow a lump "…he gave you an anti-serum for the deadly injection when Patrick was outside for a moment, you should thank him."
The last fiber of the robe that held my wrists together snapped and I threw my arms around Booth, not trusting my legs to carry the weight.
Right now, Booth was the only guy I wanted to thank.

"Shhh..It's ok," Booth whispered reassuringly into my ear as he held my trembling form. "I got you, you're safe…shh."
For several moments I continued to listen to his soothing rambling.
The nightmare was over…finally.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice crackling so much that I barely recognized it as my own.
I pulled away gently and my gaze met his, his brown eyes warm and familiar.

"Thank you." I repeated myself, this time more clearly as Booth gently whipped away a strand of my sweat slick hair, my breath hitched and we looked at each other one last time before I slowly closed the distance that remained between our lips.

My lips brushed his, tender and slowly, and my last sheds of hesitation disappeared when I felt him wound his fingers into my hair, pulling me closer and accepting the kiss gladly.
Our lips caressing each others soft and tenderly.
I silently cursed the drugs that still remained in my system for having to pull away so soon, wincing as I made a wrong movement which applied pressure on a wound.
"Let's get you to the hospital, just a quick check-up." Booth whispered gently combing through my locks as my head rested in the crook of his shoulder.

Stubbornly I didn't move.
"I don't need a check-up, Booth. I'm fine." But as he pulled me to my feet, I winced.
My partner looked at me full of disbelieve.
"I've been worse," I argued, knowing it was a lost battle anyway.

After we got home from the check-up, which had ended with a stitch on my head to a wound I hadn't even felt at all, Booth had offered to go slow for a moment.
He told me I could use some rest after everything that had happened.
And to be honest I was worn out, both physically and emotionally.

"How are you feeling?" Booth asked concerned.
How was I feeling?
I felt groggy due the medication and loss of time. I felt relieved Patrick was finally history.
But I also was confused about the current state of me and Booth.

I could hear Booth approaching me. The leather of the couch creaked softly as he sat down next to me. "Bones, are you okay? Please talk to me. You're worrying me." I looked back up at him and shrugged. I didn't know how to put all of my feelings into words. I hesitated a moment as he opened his arms, before I leaned against his side, allowing him to pull me into his embrace. "You know you can tell me everything, right?"

Carefully I nodded into the chest of my partner. It was strange but as soon as his arms were around me I felt safe and taken care of, a feeling I had yearned for, for so long.

"You make me feel safe," I finally admitted I a timid whisper.

"Oh Bones," Booth replied, knowing exactly what I was trying to tell. Knowing what I had gone through with that first person I trusted with love…or what I thought was love. "I will do everything in my power to keep you away from that kind of horrors again. I care about you, more than you will ever probably know. And I know it's much to ask but you have to believe me. To trust me."
He gently stroked back a single tear with the pad of his thumb. Stroking my hair and whispering his lips over my jaw-line. A butterfly caress.

Softly I brought my hand to his face caressing it as his lips where still on my face.
My once racing mind was numbed by the sensations my partner was causing.
It felt good. It felt wonderful. And it felt right.
Slowly I pulled back and my eyes fluttered open to meet his, I saw adoration in his and a soft smile on his lips. Carefully I brought my lips to caress his in a soft, gentle and yet passionate kiss. "I thrust you." The last words right before we met again.

(-End Chapter 12-)