"Sargeant Major Seeley Booth," Jimmy read. He flipped through the file. "FBI. Hmm, this could be fun."

"What do you want to do, sir?" the man beside him asked. Jimmy looked at him.

"Well, we need to get the girl, so find out where he resides and then wait for my orders."

"Yes sir."

Jimmy sat back in his chair. He wasn't about to lose his opportunity to dominate the world because of one stupid girl.

A Few Days Later

"Files!" Cleo called. She felt her breathing become shallow. She had no idea what was happening to her. She was used to seeing blood sometimes down there, but not like this. The pain with it was almost unbearable too.

"What's wrong?" his voice said outside the door.

"I'm bleeding."

"You're...you're bleeding?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"Um, okay. There are bandaids in the cupboard..."

"Not that kind of bleeding."

"I'm confused."

"I don't know what's happening to me. I think I'm hurt," she started to cry.

"Okay just, hang on," Booth said. He moved away from the door. Of all times for Brennan to be late. He heard her open the door then, and he almost tackled her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, taken aback.

"Cleo's bleeding."

"So get her a bandage or something," Brennan said logically. She hung up her coat.

"No, no. I think she's bleeding, as in, that kind of bleeding," Booth said, gesturing.

"Oh, her period," Brennan said. "I have stuff."

"Okay, that's great, but I don't think she understands why it's happening," Booth finished. Brennan stared at him.

"You want me to explain it to her?"

"Yes please," he answered in a small voice. The idea of telling Cleo what her period was all about made him want to run for the hills and never come back.

"She's late for puberty then," Brennan said. "That explains why she looks so young for her age and hasn't fully developed. Okay, I will tell her about it."

"Thanks, Bones. I owe you."

"Oh yes, you do." She started to head towards the bathroom when she stopped and turned back.

"What?" he asked.

"If I wasn't around, what would you have done?"

"I would've called Cam or Angela," he answered logically.

"What if you had to do it yourself? If there wasn't anyone to help?"

"My artwork is terrible, Bones. You've seen it."

"You'd draw it for her?!"

"No?" he said, more as a question.

"You really are hopeless," she sighed. She went to the bathroom and knocked.

"It's me," she said. Cleo hopped off the toilet and opened the door before rushing back. Brennan closed the door behind her with a hand over her eyes.

"I'm not looking," she promised.

"What's happening to me?" Cleo asked, whimpering. Brennan inhaled sharply. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"Well," she started. Then she launched into the logistics and explained as best as she could.

"Oh. My. God," Cleo said after. "Are you serious? Every month?!"

"Yes."

"You're shitting me."

"I'm not," Brennan shook her head. She had turned away so as to continue giving Cleo privacy. She was angry at Shelley for not explaining this to Cleo. What a way for her to find out. She began digging in her purse for something to give Cleo for now until she could go get more. Luckily, she had one of each. Cleo took the one she wanted, and Brennan left the bathroom.

"Well?" Booth asked.

"She now understands," Brennan answered.

"You know, it makes me very glad to be a man," he said. She snorted.

"Well, I'm glad that I don't have an extremely vulnerable part of me within easy access to be harmed," she pointed out.

"Fair enough," he said.

"Do you have any ibroprophen or advil?" Brennan asked. "For Cleo?"

"For what?"

"Cramps, Booth."

"Oh God," he grimaced. "Please don't share anymore."

"It's not a cold, Booth. It's not something you're going to catch," she teased. "Now, the pills?"

"Right. Um, here," he said, reaching and finding a bottle of advil.

"Thanks," she responded, taking it. She shook her head at him, but he caught a small smile on her lips. This whole living together thing was going well so far. Booth was beginning to look forward to seeing her at the end of every day. He wondered how she was thinking and feeling about it.

"Do you have something for the pain?" Cleo asked, coming out then. Brennan shook the bottle and handed her a pill.

"This will help. If necessary, I can get you a hot water bottle or a heating pad."

"Thanks."

Cleo felt embarrassed by everything suddenly. Booth wasn't even looking at her. Brennan noticed and nudged him.

"Hey, let's go out for dinner," he suggested. It broke the tension, and he didn't feel like cooking.

"Sounds good," Brennan nodded. "Cleo, you can pick where we go."

"Sweet," Cleo replied.

...

Angela was staring down at the faces on her desk. She felt her hands shaking, and she wondered why she had gone along with what Cleo had asked of her. It all felt so wrong, but in the end, it was going to bring justice. Cleo had sworn her to secrecy, so she couldn't tell anyone what she was doing. When Hodgins asked what she was working on, she lied and said portrait practice. He didn't even question it. Angela drew in a shaky breath and exhaled long and slow. She hated all of these faces. She hated that Cleo wasn't even finished, that there were more to come. They were meeting in secret while Cleo was here and Brennan was working on other things. Angela didn't know if this was therapeutic for Cleo or not, but it was certainly disturbing to Angela. She hoped she could convince Cleo to tell Booth and soon. She couldn't keep this quiet for much longer.

...

"We found him," the voice said over the phone. Jimmy smiled.

"Good. Let the games begin."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Smoke him out."

...

Booth was actually enjoying the dinner with Brennan and Cleo when his phone rang. He huffed, answering it.

"What?" he asked. He froze.

"Bad?" Cleo asked Brennan, who shook her head.

"No. I think he's being told about a lead," she mused, peering at him.

"Thanks," Booth said, snapping his phone shut. "I gotta run. You two stay and enjoy yourselves. I'll be back in a bit."

"Are we meeting you here or at the apartment?" Brennan asked.

"Whatever. Just text me where," he answered, taking off. When he got to the office, he found Agent Williams waiting for him. He handed Booth an envelope, and Booth opened it, pulling out a photo.

"This is his last known location. There's also his DNA in there from the last bombing. Good thing he got sloppy."

"Yea. Now if we can just get him to sit still long enough to get him," Booth said, looking at the satellite image.

"The window is small. He may already be gone."

"Well, get on it," Booth ordered. Just knowing that Jimmy was in the US was unsettling him. He gingerly took out the bloody rag. He wondered what area of Jimmy got hit in order to spill this much blood. He wanted to break his nose, but then again, someone already had by the look of his crooked beak. Perhaps that was what spilled so much blood on this rag. He put it all back and tucked it into his jacket, getting ready to head back to meet the girls.

...

Cleo had gone to bed, leaving Booth and Brennan sitting up and talking.

"I really can't thank you enough for doing this, Bones," Booth said, nudging her foot with his.

"Seeing how serious this case is now, I believe it's necessary that we are together," Brennan nodded.

"Necessary?"

"Well, who else is going to save you when they come for you?"

"Oho! You think I will need to be saved?!"

"Of course. You stirred up quite a strife by the sounds of it. I'm sure it will be you they come after, not me."

"God, you're so morbid," he teased. She grinned then.

"I'm glad to help, Booth. Really," she finished, looking at him intently. Those eyes. That mouth. It was all so overwhelming. She wanted to just firmly press herself against his chest and kiss him with everything she had.

"Are you sure you don't mind the couch?" he asked, clearing his throat. He suddenly wanted to invite her to sleep with him, but he wasn't sure how well that would go over. He didn't want her angry with him.

"It's fine."

"I can trade with you..."

"I'm fine here, seriously."

"All right."

They looked at each other for a moment, studying one another. It was like a game of chicken, and the end goal was who was going to talk about their relationship first.

"We should get some sleep," Brennan finally said, hating herself for being such a coward.

"Sure," he agreed. He stood, hovering above her for a moment. He could just kiss her. She might not reject him this time. He shook the thought away, knowing it was a very bad idea.

"Good night," she said softly.

"Good night," he replied. He padded to his room feeling like a complete asshole for not opening his mouth.

...

Booth awakened to the strong smell of smoke and immediately started coughing. He flicked his lamp on, seeing nothing but rolling blackness. His first thought was why the hell his smoke detectors hadn't woken him up. The next one was:

"BONES!" he screamed. He leaped across the bedroom, yanking open the door. More smoke entered. He was coughing so hard he could barely see.

"CLEO! BONES!" He clawed his way blindly to where he thought Cleo's room was.

"Over here!" Brennan's voice choked out.

"Bones? Bones!"

"Booth," she said, grabbing his hand finally. He hauled her into Cleo's room, where he saw the flames. The fire had obviously started in here.

"CLEO!" he bellowed. He kept his grip on Brennan. He wasn't letting her go. They both frantically scanned the room. He heard faint screaming coming from the closet then. He suddenly realized he was going to have to let go of Brennan in order to get Cleo out of there because it was swarmed by flames.

"Booth!" Brennan shrieked, pointing to the ceiling. The flames were weakening the structure by the minute. Booth reasoned that this fire had started out strong in order for it to be so advanced already.

"Get out," he ordered her.

"No..."

"GET OUT NOW!" he bellowed. Her terrified eyes were probably going to be the last thing he saw, but she had to get out of there. He wasn't going to let her die.

Brennan didn't want to lose him. She knew the probability was very high given their circumstances. She wasn't going to leave him without at least letting him know one thing. She grabbed his head and kissed him hard. It was a hello and goodbye all in one, and it was fast. They were running out of time.

"GO!" he shouted, the shock in his eyes from her kiss lasting for a second before coming back to the task at hand. She obeyed, stumbling through the smoke and out the door. She teetered on the stairs down to the lobby, where others had started to gather. She heard sirens, so someone had phoned the emergency services. She went outside, scanning the building. He had to emerge. He just had to.

...

Booth wished he had a chance to douse himself in water first, but there was no time. After Brennan had left, he leaped across the flames and yanked open the closet door. A very frightened Cleo was staring up at him. He hauled her up into his arms, not caring that it could be making her trauma worse. He was here to save her, not hurt her. He faced the flames again, seeing that he couldn't run and jump it, not with Cleo. He heard Cleo sobbing, and he wished he could comfort her. He looked to the open window, realizing it was his last hope. The flames were the smallest in that direction. He had to get her there. He ran through the flames, feeling them burn at his feet. He gritted his teeth against the pain. He threw the window open higher, looking down. The fire escape was right there.

"Cleo," he said loudly. She was still crying. "CLEO!"

"What?" she asked through her sobs. He adjusted her so she was sitting on the window edge.

"Go down the fire escape. They'll catch you at the bottom," he ordered.

"What about you?" she asked, afraid.

"I have to get something," Booth answered. He had to get the evidence, and if he lost it, he lost his only potential lead to ending all of this. That was clearly something the arsonist knew.

"Don't leave me!" she shrieked.

"Go to Dr. Brennan. Now," he commanded.

"BOOTH! CLEO!" Brennan's voice reached them. She had caught sight of them.

"Go!" Booth urged, helping Cleo down to the escape. She shakily made her way, but Booth stopped watching as he turned to face the flames. He sprinted and jumped over them, slamming into the wall in the hallway. He ran back to his room for the evidence. The smoke was so thick. He could barely breathe, and he was starting to think he wasn't going to get out of this alive. He found the envelope on his nightstand with his wallet and phone. Grabbing all of it, he stuffed the wallet and phone into the envelope and hurried to the front door. It was so hot. He felt his energy levels sapping. His head was foggy. He just wanted to lie down.

...

"He's still in there!" Cleo shrieked once she had made it down and had jumped into Brennan's arms for the last bit.

"What?! Why did he go back?"

"Evidence," Cleo answered. Brennan knew better than to leave Cleo unattended, but she didn't want to just stand there and let her partner die either.

"Stay right here," Brennan said. "Anyone tries to touch you, you have my permission to bite them, kick them...whatever it takes."

"Okay," Cleo nodded. "Hurry!" She made the decision to hide then, so she found a nearby car to crawl under. No one was paying attention to her, which she was grateful for. She hoped Brennan would save Booth. She wasn't sure why she had hid in the closet to begin with. Her frantic mind had told her it was the safest place to go. She was lucky Booth had thought to look there.

Brennan raced to the entrance, but a firefighter refused to let her enter.

"You don't understand!" Brennan cried. "My partner is in there!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't let you in there. It's too dangerous."

"No! I have to save him!"

The firefighter gripped her arm and pulled her away. She was sobbing now. Her Booth was in there. She couldn't just give up on him. He certainly wouldn't give up on her. She yanked free and bolted for the doors. She heard the yelling behind her, but she didn't care. The stairwell was thick with smoke, but she forced her way up. She got to his floor and saw his door open. Then she saw a hand on the floor extended through the entry.

"Booth!" she cried. She surged ahead, finding him collapsed on the ground. "NO!" She grasped his arms tightly fireman style and hauled him out into the hallway. She saw the envelope and stuffed it into the waist of her pajama pants. Then she continued to drag him to the stairs.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, knowing what she was going to do next would hurt him greatly physically. She maneuvered him into a ball as best as she could and rolled him down the stairs. Two flights later, she was sure he was going to have internal bleeding as a result. Three firefighters met her then, and they picked him up while the fourth came and escorted her out.

"Temperance!" Cleo shouted, pushing through the crowd. She had seen Booth emerge with Brennan right behind her.

"You're crazy, you know that?" the same firefighter from before said to her.

"Maybe, but at least I saved him," she answered, jutting her chin out. He had no reply to that. Paramedics were hooking Booth up to oxygen and an IV drip.

"You should come too," the one paramedic gestured. "Both of you. That was a lot of smoke you inhaled."

"I'm not leaving him," Brennan said. Cleo nodded in agreement. Booth had saved her life. She would have died in that closet otherwise. She was silent on the ride to the hospital. Her being with Booth was getting him almost killed. She was beginning to think she should be somewhere else on her own.

...

Brennan had been cleared. So had Cleo. They were both in the waiting room when a doctor approached them. Brennan stood, afraid.

"He's fine," the doctor said. She felt the relief so immense she nearly fell to her knees.

"Oh thank goodness," she breathed.

"He's banged up a bit and had lots of smoke inhalation with some burns on his feet. We're checking for any heart conditions due to the smoke, so we're going to monitor him overnight. Otherwise, he's free to go tomorrow morning."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Take care," the doctor smiled, walking away.

"He saved us," Cleo said in a small voice. Booth was constantly proving to her that not every man was an evil man. It was starting to stick.

"That's what he does," Brennan nodded.

"Someone is still trying to hurt me," Cleo noted.

"We'll find out who, and we'll end this," Brennan told her firmly. "I promise." She pulled Cleo into a tight embrace then, trying to convey to her that she would be all right, that this nightmare would eventually end.

Pretty intense! I had the song Canyon Battle by M83 (from Oblivion soundtrack) helping me write this one. Thanks for reading! I hope you're excited for more ;)