I'm so happy you all are enjoying this story! Buckle up for another intense chapter!

Booth was at his desk reflecting on the news about his smoke detectors and searching the database for the dead fireman when Cleo returned. She looked a little shell shocked.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Yea. I just had a session with Sweets about this," she said, handing him the binder. Booth swallowed hard. The binder. He had forgotten about it.

"I can imagine it was very difficult for you," Booth said slowly.

"It was, but at the same time, it helped me work through some of it. Dr. Sweets is very good," Cleo said, sitting down across from Booth.

"He is," Booth agreed. He had prodded him to make the gamble with his relationship with Brennan. He owed this newfound territory he had with Brennan to Sweets for making her reflect and change her mind while she was away. Brennan had confessed to him that Sweets had chatted with her before she left, making her doubt her original rationalization that their relationship wouldn't work.

"Can we go home?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yea," he nodded. "We can go home." He could do some work from there. He went to call Brennan when Cleo stopped him.

"It's okay," she said firmly. "I trust you."

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," he started.

"I'm not. Not around you. Or Dr. Sweets. You both have this aura around you that indicates safety and trust. I know neither of you will hurt me. It's also a part of my therapy, to work on trusting other men again and know that not everyone is going to hurt me."

"Okay," Booth said. "If you're all right with it, then I'll leave Bones at work. She's trying to find cause of death."

"I'm all right with it," Cleo confirmed. Booth stood and turned off his computer.

"You feel like some ice cream first?" he asked. "I always take Parker there when he's feeling upset."

"It's been a very long time since I've had ice cream," she noted. "I'll take you up on that."

"Great," Booth smiled. "Come on, kid." He placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her out the door. Cleo felt very safe with him then, and she knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision to trust Seeley Booth.

...

"There is nothing in the tox screen," Cam said, looking at it. She was confused. Brennan looked as well.

"What was he, scared to death?" Hodgins asked. They all looked at each other then. They had seen that type of death before.

"I will take a look at his brain," Cam said, nodding. "That's the next step."

"This is weird," Hodgins said to Brennan after Cam had left. "I don't get a good vibe from this one."

"Neither do I," Brennan agreed. She looked at her phone to see Booth had texted he and Cleo were going for ice cream. She was glad that Cleo was finally starting to be okay alone with Booth.

"I guess I'll get back to my particulates," Hodgins sighed. "Call me if you find anything out."

"I will," Brennan promised. She went back to the body, watching as Cam started her procedure. She looked back at her phone, suddenly having a strange feeling about Booth and Cleo.

"I'm going to go," she said suddenly to Cam.

"Okay," Cam responded. She was heavily focused on her work. Brennan left and headed to her car. She felt this sense she needed to be with Booth right now.

...

"Feel better?" Booth asked as they sat in the parlor.

"This is amazing," Cleo replied, her voice thick with ice cream in her mouth.

"Ice cream is always amazing," Booth commented, making her laugh. He did a quick scan of the place, making sure there weren't any suspicious looking people there with them. It was now dark outside.

"So, you and the good doctor," Cleo said, licking her spoon. "How's that going?"

"I'm not answering that," Booth snorted.

"Obviously very well. You guys are still sleeping in the same bed," Cleo pointed out.

"Are you always this observant?"

"Always," Cleo nodded. She had to be. It was essential to survival. Booth grew serious, realizing this as well.

"I'm glad you're talking to Sweets," he said.

"Me too," Cleo agreed. Booth turned to look out the window then, and his heart jumped as though he'd been electrocuted. There was a man standing there with a gun aimed right at him.

"DOWN!" he shouted, pulling Cleo to the floor. Bullets shattered the window, and one hit him right in the back. He cried out in pain.

"What's happening?!" Cleo cried as he crawled on top of her, protecting her from further shots.

"FBI FREEZE!" Brennan's voice shouted. Booth dared to look, and there was Brennan indeed standing there with her big ass pistol aimed at the man, who turned and fled. Brennan fired off some shots, but she missed.

"Bones!" he yelled. She turned to see them and ran inside.

"Booth!" she cried, seeing him bleeding. "You're hurt!"

"What?" Cleo asked, struggling out from under him. Booth was unable to stand. Brennan slid his shirt up, seeing the bullet wound in his back.

"Help is coming," the store owner said. He had been hiding behind the counter trembling when it all happened, but he had called emergency services all the same.

"Hang on, Booth," Brennan said, pulling him into her lap and cradling him. "Hang on."

"Don't die, Files. I need you," Cleo begged. Booth stared up at both of them before things started to go blurry and dark.

...

"Hodgins, what do you make of this?" Cam asked. Hodgins bent down to look. The victim's brain looked like something she had never seen before. Cam had been stunned when she saw it.

"It's like his brain exploded," Hodgins breathed. He looked at Cam, who looked back at him, scared.

"We are dealing with a bomb expert here," Cam said slowly.

"This is really intense," Hodgins said.

"I have to let Booth know," Cam said, reaching for her phone. It went to voicemail. "He's not answering."

"Oh no," Hodgins said.

"I'm trying Dr. Brennan," Cam said, quickly dialing. No answer from her either.

"This is bad," Hodgins commented.

"He's putting bombs into people's brains, Hodgins," Cam said, getting worked up. "Of course this is bad!"

"You're jumping to conclusions," Hodgins pointed out.

"How else do you explain a brain that looks like freaking nuclear bomb hit it?" Cam demanded.

"Right. Conclusions first, evidence later," Hodgins said. "But...how? How did they get it in there? There's no hole in the skull!"

Cam thought hard. Then she looked at Hodgins.

"Through the nose," she answered. "That's how."

"Holy mother of God," Hodgins said, gripping his own head tightly. "It's like a spy film!"

"Come on," Cam muttered, ignoring him and trying both Booth and Brennan again. Something was really wrong. She left a voicemail for Booth. It would have to do for now.

...

Sweets had come as soon as Brennan called him. She needed someone to stay with Cleo while she kept an eye on what was happening to Booth. They had taken him in for surgery hours ago, and he was just being wheeled to a room now. Brennan hurried in there.

"He's sleeping off the sedative," the nurse explained. "He should be awake in an hour or so."

"Okay," Brennan nodded. She sat by his side, holding his hand. She wasn't going to leave him.

...

Booth awoke feeling very groggy. Everything seemed to hurt. He looked to see Brennan asleep beside the bed, and he smiled a little. Of course she'd be right there. He shifted and immediately winced from the pain in his back. He looked to see his things on the table beside him, and he reached for his phone. He needed to let Cam know what happened so she could keep an eye on that body. He was surprised to find a bunch of missed calls and voicemails from her.

"Booth, you have to call me right now."

"Booth! Where the hell are you?! CALL ME!"

"Booth, it's really bad. Please call me!"

"Okay, I'm just going to say it. Jimmy put a bomb in the victim's head, Booth. That's how he died."

"Booth! Please tell me you're okay!"

Booth stared at his phone, shocked. A bomb in a brain? He swallowed, his heart racing. Something was coming back to him, something from when he was in surgery. He had briefly woken up before immediately being knocked out again. He remembered voices, laughter. He reached to touch his head, feeling for anything abnormal.

"Booth?" Brennan asked, touching him gently and making him jump. He was still searching his skull with his fingers. They had put something in his head. He knew it. Everything was a blur, though. He didn't remember any faces.

"Are you okay?" she pressed, resting her hands on his chest near his collarbone.

"Yea," he nodded finally. The light was so blinding suddenly. Then, he suddenly saw it clearly. The small gun coming for his nose. The burst of pain afterwards. Holy shit.

"Booth?" she asked, touching his face.

"Don't," he said quickly, catching her hand. His breath came in short bursts. It was slowly coming back to him in pieces. The laughter, the voices. They had done it. They had put a bomb in his head, just like the firefighter. Just like Cam had said in her message.

"If you don't do what I say, I will set it off," the man had whispered. Jimmy? Booth struggled to remember. He sat up.

"You really shouldn't exert yourself," Brennan said, trying to push him back down.

"You need to leave," Booth said. There was only one reason they'd do this to him. It was to get Cleo. If he tried to intervene, they'd kill him, and he'd never be able to save her.

"Files?" Cleo's voice asked. Booth froze. What was she doing here?!

"Is this a bad time?" Sweets questioned behind her. "She really wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Booth answered. "Good as new."

"That's twice you've been shot for me," Cleo said. "I'm starting to feel I won't be able to pay you back."

"It's nothing," Booth dismissed. He tried to get Sweets's attention. Cleo should not be here. It was not safe.

"I gotta get some water or something," Sweets said, oblivious. "I'll be back."

"You shouldn't be here," Booth said to Cleo. He kept looking at the door anxiously. They were watching. He knew they were. Not only did they have firefighters on their team, they had doctors too.

"Booth, are you okay?" Brennan asked.

"I'm just tired of lying down," Booth answered. He moved to get up.

"I really don't think..." Brennan started.

"Well, well, well," Jimmy said, entering then. Cleo screamed. Booth heard the gunshot go off in the hallway, knowing that some poor person had been shot coming to assist Cleo. He desperately hoped it wasn't Sweets.

"Booth?" Brennan asked.

"Ask and you shall receive. That was too easy," Jimmy commented. He snapped his fingers at one of his helpers.

"NO!" Cleo screamed as Jimmy's henchman picked her up. Booth held Brennan back so she couldn't attack him.

"Booth! Stop him!" she shouted. Jimmy held Booth's gaze, knowing that Booth knew he couldn't do anything.

"SEELEY!"

Cleo's anguished screams were killing him, though. She used his first name too. Booth wished he could tell her he had a plan, that he was going to save her.

"Booth! Do something! Anything!" Brennan shrieked. The four men had their guns trained on them, and Booth knew better than to move. One of them had his bomb detonator. One of them was going to kill him once Cleo was gone. He just knew it. He forced himself to catch Cleo's terrified gaze.

Trust me, he mouthed. For a second, her eyes registered what he'd told her. It still didn't calm her down, though.

"Be a good boy, Booth," Jimmy said, his meaning clear. "Don't follow us." He turned to follow his men. As he went through the door, though, Booth saw him pull out something and press it, giving Booth a sideways smirk. His head began to pulse. He knew his bomb had been activated.

"Booth!" Brennan cried. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him hurriedly in the opposite direction once Jimmy and his crew were out of sight.

"Where are we going?" she asked. "Cleo is going that way!"

"Trust me, Bones," he told her. He found the room he was looking for and shut the door, shoving a chair under the handle.

"Why are we hiding? Booth? Answer me!" she shouted angrily.

He had to deactivate the bomb. He had to find a way. He looked at the defibrillators on the wall and yanked one off and started messing with it. Jimmy had triggered the bomb, he knew it. He'd gotten what he wanted, so there was no reason to keep Booth alive any longer. He had no idea how long he had to live. The pulse was getting worse. The pain in his back was excruciating, but he dismissed it.

"What are you doing?" Brennan asked as he frantically worked.

"They put a bomb in my head, Bones," Booth answered, working hard still. His breaths were coming in short and fast.

"What?! When did they...?"

"No time for that," Booth cut her off. "He triggered it. I have to deactivate it."

"How are you going to do that?" she asked, fearful. Somehow, she knew his answer before he gave it just by watching what he was doing. Her mind was racing. Then, she realized what had happened to the firefighter. He'd had a bomb in his head too. His terrified expression made sense now.

"I'm going to electrocute myself," he answered, finally succeeding in rigging the thing. He looked at her finally.

"What?" she asked, not hearing him properly.

"My brain is going to explode, just like our victim's did. I have to do this now," he urged. The pulsing was louder and faster now.

"But..."

"Bring me back," he told her, grabbing her hands. "Resuscitate me after. I know you can do it."

"Booth..."

"Bones, turn it on and then off, do you understand?" Booth said fiercely, gasping now. The pain was becoming unbearable. She was trying not to cry.

"Okay. I understand," she nodded finally. "On then off." He grasped her face with his hands, fear in his own eyes.

"I trust you," he said. "With my life. Always have, always will. Bring me back."

"I will," she said, strongly this time. He gave her one last kiss, knowing that it could potentially be his last kiss with her ever. He tasted her tears as they slid down her cheek and into her mouth. He pulled back then, praying to God that this would work. There was a roaring sound coming in his ears. It was now or never.

"Bones, I love you, okay? So much. Since day one. Just...just in case," he said. Then, he put the piece he created in his mouth and gestured her to do it, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I love you," she gasped right as she activated the defibrillator. They were the last words he heard as he hit the floor.

...

Cleo felt nothing. She had been thrown in the trunk of Jimmy's car and was sliding around in it now. Booth had let her down. He hadn't saved her. The fact that he had mouthed "Trust me" to her meant nothing. He wasn't going to save her. She had to save herself. She began to root around where the latch of the trunk was. She didn't care that she was moving very fast. If she died jumping out of this car, then at least she wouldn't die a tortured death.

...

Brennan immediately turned off the defibrillator once Booth hit the ground. She worked hard to stop her tears, but watching Booth die in front of her was something she had never wanted to experience, and it was still shocking her. His eyes staring at nothing didn't help. She flipped him onto his back.

"Booth!" she cried. "Hang on!" She fumbled with the defibrillator, hooking it to him. After failing to make it work, she yanked it off and started to do manual compressions. She needed him to come back. She needed him. There was no life without Seeley Booth.

"Come on! Come on, Booth! Come back!" she shouted, compressing harder and faster. Breaths, compressions, breaths, compressions... She knew she was running out of time before Booth was really gone, before Jimmy hurt Cleo, before they could find her in time. She started slamming her fist against Booth's chest, screaming his name. Right when she felt like nothing was going to bring him back, like she'd lost him forever, Booth jolted awake and sat up, gasping. Brennan tumbled backwards and landed hard on her bottom on the floor. He looked around, grabbing at his chest. It hurt like hell where she'd been working on it.

"Booth," she whispered. He looked at her then.

"Bones," he said.

"Oh thank God," she whimpered. She didn't use that phrase a lot, but this time, she was very grateful that Booth's God had let him come back to her. She threw herself into his arms. He buried his face into her neck.

"I thought I had lost you," she whispered, crying. "You weren't responding to CPR."

"I'm here," he said, holding her tightly. "I'm back. You brought me back. I knew you could."

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We go get our girl back," he answered.

Yes, I was inspired, borrowed, and slightly modified the idea from Mission Impossible 3 of the whole bomb in the brain thing to fit my story, which if you haven't seen that movie, it's freaking intense! Anyhow, thanks for reading!

Songs that inspired this chapter: Canyon Battle and I'm Sending You Away by M83 (Oblivion soundtrack).