"BONES!" he called, running towards the embers that burst out of the building. He didn't care that if he went in there, he may not come out. All he cared about was getting to her, if she was even still alive.

"Booth!" he heard a familiar, shaking voice that sounded small against the sounds of the flames crackling and the building collapsing. His head snapped around to see Brennan standing against the fence, un-harmed, with her arms crossed as if she were cold. Suddenly he could breathe again as he moved swiftly over to her, "Bones, are you alright?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her without warning.

"Booth..." she started to protest the personal contact.

"I told you I'd hug you if I needed one." he said, holding her tight.

Remembering when he had said that, back when they 'guy hugged' for the first time, she put her arms around him, laying her head against his warm chest. She could hear the fast paced thumping of his heart. After a moment they pulled apart and looked at each other.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine, Booth. A little shaken up, but I got out okay." Brennan answered as they started for his car. When they reached his SUV he took the CB radio and called in the explosion, requesting that anything that was not destroyed be taken to the Jeffersonian. Brennan could tell that part of Booth was angry as they got into the front seats. She had never been good at reading people, but by now she could read her partner pretty well, and he was definitely angry. Angry at himself for nearly getting her killed by telling her to stay in the store. Angry that the suspect, his partner's attempted murderer, got away. Angry that "We lost most of the evidence." he finally said, smacking the steering wheel, "I'm sorry, Bones, I'm not mad at you." he said quickly, realizing the way he sounded, "I'm glad that you got out of there safely. I would choose you over evidence any day."

"Not all of the evidence was destroyed," smiled Brennan, "I ran out of the building when I saw the bomb, but was able to save this." she pulled an evidence bag out of her jacket pocket and held it up.

Booth looked at the black wire Brennan had found, sitting inside the bag and laughed "Good job, Bones!"

"Obviously we may not be able to compare it to the machines from the store, but perhaps there are fingerprints on it or something else we may be able to use."

********

They walked into the Medico-Legal lab side by side.

"Bren, Booth!" Angela called from the door-way to her office, waving them in then retreating into the room.

Brennan handed the bag that held the piece of wire to Hodgens as he walked past them, "Check for fingerprints and also run it against the fragments of wires from the bomb and machines from Karri's Prints once they get here if it's possible." she told him and he nodded in acknowledgement. Booth put his hand on the small of Brennan's back to guide her towards Angela's office and a single chill ran up her spine, in a good way. She couldn't believe that she once hated this gesture, since now she hated when she couldn't have his hand there. Any day that she had to go without feeling his palm grace the small of her back - weekends, days they had been arguing more than usual, days when he was on leave because of his back or because he shot inanimate objects - she felt empty, like something was missing. They walked into Angela's office and surrounded her in front of her computer.

"So I found out some more about the Arkays. First off, I think you'd like to know that we have another Brennan-look-a-like." Angela typed a few keys and a picture of Karri Arkay came up next to the picture of Kayla Berrellous.

She did look like Brennan. Piercing blue eyes and soft brown hair. Even the bone structure and frame build were about the same. The only difference was that Brennan's features are stronger. Karri Arkay had a heart-shaped face and a slightly squared jaw-line. Booth's phone rang and he excused himself from the office to answer it.

"Her husband slash murderer, Randall Arkay broke out of prison two weeks ago." continued Angela, now pulling up a picture of the man. As the photo appeared, Brennan's eyes widened.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Angela asked her friend.

"I remember that case. It was just before Booth and I became partners. I found the evidence that convicted him." said Brennan.

"Whoa, that is creepy." the ladies turned to see Doctor Lance Sweets standing in the door way.

He walked over to them and looked at the monitor which displayed the photos of Randall Arkay's two victims and their murderer, then glanced at Brennan, then back to the screen, "With the fact that you look so much like his wife, I assume that to him, you being the one to convict him was like his wife getting back at him for her murder."

"But why did he kill Kayla Berrellous?" asked Angela.

"Perhaps he mistook her for Doctor Brennan." he answered with his best guess, "After all, it has been five years. Once he realized his mistake, he saw the opportunity to make this into a game. Something that he could get enjoyment out of."

Booth came back into the office, "That was Charlie. He said that none of the three people who worked at Karri's are still in town. He's trying to track them down now."

When he looked at the screen and saw the face of Randall Arkay, his eyes widened.

"Booth, what's wrong?" asked Brennan.

"That's the new guy at Wong Foo's who gave us those fortune cookies." he said, pointing to the screen.

"You're right, Booth, but how did he know we would be at Wong Foo's? We didn't even know until last minute." she finished as her phone began to ring and she answered, "Brennan."

"Maybe he's been stalking you since he broke out of prison." inputted Angela.

"Hello, Doctor Brennan." said the raspy voice on the phone.

"How did you get this number?" she asked and Booth, already knowing who Brennan was talking to, motioned for Angela to trace the call and she began typing as fast as she could.

"Why the threats? Why not just kill me without telling me?" she asked.

"They're more like promises. It makes my fun last longer." said the voice.

"You won't get away with it. We will find you." Brennan assured him.

"The ride is over." he hung up.

"I only narrowed it down to the inner D.C. area.

"What did he say?" asked Booth.

"He said that 'the ride is over'." Brennan stared him in the eye.

Booth walked to the door, turning to look at Brennan, "You stay here this time. I will not have you nearly blown up again."

"What?" squeaked Angela as Booth walked out of the office. Brennan just stood there and watched him walk away.

"Be careful, Booth!" she called out to him, and he looked over his shoulder at her with a smile as he went towards the main exit.

Her sight of Booth was obstructed by Hodgens when he stopped at the threshold of Angela's office, "The wire matched one from what was left of the bomb and what was left of the only two machines from the store that didn't get completely destroyed in the explosion." he said, "Also, I ran the finger prints through AFIS and it matched a guy named Randall Arkay."

"DNA matches Kayla Berrellous. Her family is being informed as we speak." said Cam, passing Hodgens to enter the room.

********

Booth drove through the small parking lot of the restraint and parked about fifteen feet or so from the door. He got out of the SUV and marched up to the door, busting through it and storming right up to the counter, holding his badge up to the line of people in front of the register who were complaining that he was cutting in line. Sid saw Booth and turned to face him, "What can I do for you, Booth?"

"Where's that new guy that was mopping the floor this afternoon?" Booth demanded.

"Randy? He just got off work ten minutes ago. Why? Did he do something?"

"Murder and attempted murder of Dr. Brennan." he answered as he walked around the counter and went into the back room to find it empty with the back door open. Booth drew his gun and ran out into the alley, looking in every direction to find some trace of Randall Arkay. There was a building that was parallel to the restraint and two ways out of the alley. One however was blocked by a supply truck at the moment, so Booth went left and exited the alley. He saw no one and nothing that could tell him if Randall had been there. He walked back into the restraint through the back door and told Sid to call the second that he laid eyes on Randall. He agreed and Booth left through the front, got into his SUV and pulled out his phone, dialing the first speed-dial.

"Brennan." she answered her phone.

"He wasn't there. Do you have anything at all?" he asked her as he started the car and joined the 6 O' clock traffic in the outside lane of Main Street.

"Yes, we have proof that Randall Arkay is the one trying to kill me. The wire we found at Karri's had his finger prints on it and it matched what was left of the bomb from the store."

"That'd be great if I knew where he was."

"We're working on that now."

"Okay," he heard a beep, "Bones, I'm getting another call, let me call you back." he switched calls, "Booth." he answered.

"Agent Booth, there is a bomb in your car. Once you reach 55 miles per hour, it will not explode if you stay there or above. However, if you go under 55 or turn on your siren, the bomb will go off instantly." a deep, raspy voice said then hung up.

Looking at the speedometer, he saw that he was already at 65mph and cursed himself for speeding, then noticed no stop lights up ahead.

He called Brennan back.

"He's not just targeting you, Bones, he put a bomb in my car." he said in a slightly panicked voice and heard her put her phone on speaker so everyone else could hear too, "Is there any way Angela can hack into whatever she has to to make sure every stop light on Main Street stays green?" he asked.

"I can try." said Angela, starting to type as fast as she could.

"She's trying now, Booth, just hold on." Brennan attempted to sound comforting through her fear.

Booth gripped the steering wheel with his left hand, holding his phone in his right. He watched as the light above the intersection two cross-streets ahead was turning yellow, "Ange, please tell me you can do this!"

"I'm trying, Booth, but it's not as easy as it sounds."

He approached the intersection before the one that was now red, "Bones, take me off speaker." he said, and she obliged.

"Okay, you're off speaker."

"Bones, listen to me. It's either I get blown up or I get crushed in the intersection and possibly take someone with me." he said, trying to sound calm for her, "I can't take a chance of killing someone else."

"Booth, no-"

"I've already made up my mind." he cut her off, "There is a chance I can get out of this, but if I don't..." he took in a deep breath, "...take care of yourself, Bones."

"Booth..." she said weakly, then heard what sounded like a crash, "Booth?" there was no reply, "BOOTH!" she cried, then after a moment walked back into the office with tears forming in her eyes.

"Just another minute..." said Angela, still typing.

"No-no need to." said Brennan in a low voice.

Everyone reacted differently, but with the same feeling of pain. Angela gasped with a hand over her mouth and Hodgens put his hands on her shoulder for comfort. Cam just stood there, leaning against Angela's desk and staring out into space.

Brennan sat down on a chair next to the door for only a moment, then quickly stood up and threw her phone to the ground in rage, startling everyone, "I need to work. No interruptions. I need to find out where this bastard is." she stormed out, wiping the singular tear from her flushed face. Every motion was full of anger. She pulled on her lab coat and roughly put on rubber gloves, nearly tearing them. Jogging up the steps of the platform, swiping her card on the way, she went strait to the body and started looking for anything she might have missed. She was going into the obsession mode that was usually used as a last resort.

"Why would he go after Booth too?" Cam asked no one in particular.

"He saw him as something that stood between him and his revenge." Sweets answered through a sniffle.