That saying, about how you always kill the thing you love, well, it works both ways.
~ Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club)

Chapter Twenty-One: The Spider and the Fly

Brennan regained consciousness gradually, lifting her head slowly while keeping her eyes closed. She breathed in once through her nose, then exhaled through her mouth, trying to combat the sudden onslaught of nausea caused by a pounding headache, and the sickening realization that she was currently tied to a chair.

"Dr. Brennan?" A soft voice asked.

Brennan turned her head carefully, not wanting to aggravate her stomach, and opened her eyes. A man, whom she recognized as Clayton Woods, was also tied to a chair about three feet from hers, a worried expression on his handsome features.

"Mr. Speaker." Brennan tried to smile. "I am relieved to see that you are relatively unharmed."

Clay huffed a short laugh at her formal comment. "Dr. Brennan, you can call me Clayton. Or Clay. I don't mind. In fact…in light of our predicament, I think a little camaraderie would be called for. Are you alright?"

"I believe that, except for a headache, I am fine. Thank you."

"How did he get to you? Where were you?"

"Your backyard."

"What?" Clay was shocked speechless. "How in the hell did that happen?"

"I honestly do not know. I took the dog, our psychologist's dog, out for some air, and that's the last thing I remember."

"Good lord, he has access to the house?" Clay looked at her, shocked.

"He did, but I imagine that it's closed down quite tight now."

"Dr. Bre-I'm sorry, is there something else you prefer to be called?"

"You can call me Temperance, or Brennan. My best friend calls me Bren, as does-" Brennan stopped, giving him a pained smile.

"Charlie calls you Bren?" Clay grinned. "How is my girl? She's okay, right?"

Brennan nodded. "Yes, Charlotte is well. Worried about you terribly, but she is safe and everything…" She looked Clay in the eye pointedly. "Everything is fine."

"Ah. Charlie told you about the baby, then?" Brennan looked around worriedly, wondering if there were any listening devices in the room. "It's okay, Bren. He's out for the moment. That's why the dog is here." He gestured to Jane, who was sitting guard by the doorway.

"Oh. The dog hair, of course." Brennan said, almost to herself.

"Dog hair?"

Brennan shook out of her thoughts. "Oh, yes. The dog hair is how we connected your kidnapping to-"

Clay watched as some sort of realization crossed Brennan's features, and something that looked like pity replaced it. "What? What is it, Brennan?"

"I'm very sorry. Lou Robertson was found dead on Saturday morning last."

Clay closed his eyes tightly, shook his head once, and then looked back at Brennan. "He was murdered."

Sympathy flooded Brennan, and she tried to speak carefully. "Yes. By accident, as it happens. But it looks as though he was the first abduction victim, and something went wrong."

"Old Lou never would have gone without a fight."

"And he didn't. He fought hard. I am very sorry."

Clay nodded again. "How was Charlie? God, he was really her only family, of sorts. Great guy."

"She and I didn't really speak about it, but she seemed to be okay. Your wife is very good at keeping calm in the face of great adversity. It's impressive. Booth would say it's counterproductive, but…" Brennan trailed off suddenly, looking off at nothing. "Booth."

Clay knew that look; it mirrored what he had been feeling for his wife for the last week. "He's probably looking for you right now."

Brennan smiled tightly. "I know he is. And I worry about what he's going to do to Tucker when he finds him."

"Tucker?" Clay moved his chair a little, trying to get closer. "That's his name?"

"Yes. Bradley Tucker. He was in Booth's unit in Afghanistan. He has been following Charlotte ever since she was embedded there."

Clay frowned. "I gathered that from his journals."

"He let you read them?"

"He read them to me. Quite often. But of course, only the parts he thought would hurt me the most."

"Oh." They shared a knowing look. "The entries when she and Booth were together."

"Oh yes." Clay looked embarrassed. "They were…quite graphic."

"I imagine that was hard for you to hear. I'm sorry." Brennan began moving her hands a bit, trying to find some breathing room for her chafing wrists. "Has he told you anything else?"

"Just that Booth and your team were working the case. And he inferred that he was going to send you the journals, I think."

"Yes, they arrived this morning."

"This morning? So today is…"

"Saturday. The 13th. I think it still is, in any case."

Clay sighed. "I can't keep track of the days. There's no natural light anywhere in this place."

At that, Brennan began to look around the room; taking in the empty shelves, the boarded-up windows, and the counters near the back, to what she suddenly knew was a staircase behind a closed door.

"I…" She turned and stared at the front of what at one time had been an abandoned store. "I think I know where we are."

B&B

In the four hours after Brennan was discovered missing no one knew what to do but they all felt the urgency to do something. Booth continued to stand in the den, staring at the accumulated evidence but remained still and silent.

"Why take her?' Charlie asked an obviously unnerved Sweets when she found him in the dining room still reading the journals.

"I-I…I honestly don't know. I keep looking through these for some kind of clue or…All I've come up with is….I'm certain he's still in DC – he hasn't taken them far."

"What makes you think that?"

Sweets flipped through a journal, "He would stay where he was most comfortable, where he thought he had the upper-hand.

"The journals were mailed on Thursday and…." Charlotte thought for a moment, trying to think like the journalist she once was , "Something happened that forced him to change his plans shortly after. Right?" Sweets nodded and exhaled deeply, "Kinser…."

She shuddered as she held up the previous day's paper,, "He was named as a person of interest in the papers yesterday. And Tucker knew you guys were getting closer so he stepped up his plans."

"That's got to be it. He probably thought that taking her would split Booth's focus but-"

She cut him off, "But all it's done is made him more focused. By taking Temperance, Tucker might as well have strapped a homing device to his chest for Seeley to find him."

Sweets looked at Charlotte, taking in her tired eyes and shaky hands, "Does that bother you?"

"What? That he's more motivated to find his wife than he was to find my husband?" Sweets nodded and she shook her head, "It should, shouldn't it? But it doesn't…I know him and… I-I understand."

He stood and prepared to approach Booth with this new information but before leaving the room he turned, "He'll find them."

Charlotte offered him half-hearted smile that was overshadowed by the tears welling in her eyes, "He has to, I can't…Lance, I can't have this child alone."

He closed his eyes and shook his head, "You're pregnant?"

She nodded once, "What if he can't find them?"

"That's simply not an option. You know him but you don't know 'them' – they don't give up, they're not built that way."

B&B

Gus entered the sunroom near the back of the house, where Cam was sitting by the large windows, staring out into the backyard where several agents continued to patrol. She didn't look at him when he sat, but sighed and began talking without preamble.

"You don't have any idea what Booth and Brennan went through before they got together, but I have to tell you that it was painful to watch. Dancing around each other for years, dating other people, denying their feelings…it was enough to drive you crazy."

Gus nodded. "I heard things here and there. They are sort of legendary in law enforcement."

"But all of that? It just disappeared once they got on the same page and they became this epic love story. And it truly is epic. They had so much hype to live up to, but like everything else in their lives, they were overachievers in their relationship as well. I've never seen two people more in love…and they genuinely like each other, which is even rarer, I think. So now, this…I am having trouble accepting that this is happening again."

"Again? Dr. Brennan was kidnapped before?"

"Yes, twice. Once, I wasn't with the team back then, she was taken by a rogue FBI agent Seeley assigned to her for her protection. I know he still kicks himself for that one. But he checked himself out of the hospital after being blown up in an explosion, and he saved her. The second time, Brennan and Hodgins were kidnapped by Heather Taffett."

"The Gravedigger. I remember the case. They put her away, right?"

"Yes. But not before she took Seeley as well a few years later. Brennan saved him then, just as he saved her. It's just not fair; they deserve to have some peace."

"I agree. And I am sorry, I feel responsible for all of this because I brought you all in."

Cam finally looked over at him, a small smile gracing her face. "It wouldn't have mattered, they would have come and helped, risk or no risk. It's who they are."

"Who you all are."

Cam sniffed, disbelieving. "I don't know about that. I sit in a lab all day, dissecting dead bodies and pushing papers. Nothing I do is very brave."

Gus moved to grab the armrests of her chair, turning it so that she was facing him, an intense look on his face. "That is not true. What you and the team do is very brave. And honorable. You put the worst of the worst away, you make the world safer, and you do the right thing, Camille. Look around the world sometime, people don't do that anymore. It takes a very, very brave person to sacrifice their personal happiness to make the world a better place for others. You do that, Camille. Every time you help another victim, you give them the dignity of their identity back and you find them justice. There is nothing nobler or braver in this world."

Cam leaned forward and pulled Gus to her, kissing him hard, fast and passionately. "Thank you, but you really didn't have to say that."

Gus smiled and pulled her back for another short kiss. "Yes, I did have to say it because it's true, Camille." He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "But the reward was nice, too."

"Anytime, Augustus. Anytime."

B&B

As Sweets was crossing through the hallway on the way to the kitchen, he literally bumped into Hodgins coming out of a side door.

"Whoa!" Jack reached out and grabbed Sweets' arm. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Ah..actually, I was heading to the kitchen to find Pen. Guess my mind wasn't all there, sorry Hodgins."

Jack took a moment to really get a good look at his friend, seeing the weariness and fear for Brennan they were all feeling etched across his still-youthful face. "You thinking about Brennan?"

Sweets nodded. "Yeah. I'm thinking a lot about her, I'm mad at myself for not seeing this coming, I'm exhausted…and quite honestly, I'm worried that Booth is going to do something stupid."

"Nah." Hodgins shook his head slowly.

"No? No to what?"

"No to Booth doing something stupid."

"How can you be sure of that? Have you seen him? He's…"

"Yeah, Scary-Ass Sniper Mode. Of course I saw it. Which is why you shouldn't be worried. Unless you're Bradley Tucker."

Sweets shook his head. "I don't know…he has all that rage just seething underneath, and as far as I know, only Dr. Brennan has been able to help him harness it in a positive way. And since she's not here…"

Hodgins shook his head again and slapped Sweets on the shoulder. "Sweets, relax. We need Scary-Ass Sniper Booth right now. That focus he has? It's sharper and more indestructible than adamantium. If, of course, adamantium actually existed. Booth will not waver until he knows where Brennan is and has her back. And in the meantime? We keep an eye on him." Jack turned to head into the living room. "Don't worry, Sweets. Booth will be fine and he will find Brennan. That's a fact."

As Sweets watched Hodgins walk away, he couldn't help but wonder why he still felt the sense that something very big was about to happen. He tried to shake the feeling as he entered the kitchen, where Angela and Penelope were chatting over coffee. Both looked up and smiled weakly, and Sweets knew they had been talking about Brennan.

"Ladies." He nodded as he crossed to the coffee pot to get himself a boost of caffeine. "What is everyone feeling right now? Anything I can help with?"

Penelope shook her head. "That's my Lance, keeping his eye on everyone and everything. Except that coffee…that's decaf, babe."

He looked down at his now-full cup. "Decaf? Why?" He almost whined.

"Charlie asked for it, I think she's a little wired." Angela responded, getting up. "If you'd like, I can put that in a warmer and make a fully caffeinated pot for you and me."

Sweets raised an eyebrow at Penny. "You're not drinking caffeine?"

She tapped the cup in front of her. "My hands are already shaking. Why help it along?"

He sighed. "Brennan is going to be fine, Pen. Booth always saves her. The team always saves each other."

Angela nodded and pointed at Penny. "See? That's what I've been telling her." She sat down next to Penny and wrapped an arm around her. "We're all scared, sweetie. But over time we've learned that together there is nothing Booth and Brennan can't do. Trust me, Bren's already figured out where she is and is working with Clay to get them out of there."

"How do you know he has her in the same place as Clay?"

"It makes sense." Sweets sat on Penny's other side and took her hand absently. "He is all alone. He can't keep an eye on both of them if they're in separate places. And now that he's escalated things, he's going to want to keep them controlled even more."

"Yeah." Penny sighed. "I don't know how you guys used to do this job. I would go insane."

Angela stood and moved to get herself and Sweets coffee. "I used to feel the same way, Pen. In fact, the first year Booth and Bren were partners, I almost quit the Jeffersonian. But Bren reminded me that what we do is so important, so vital to others…I eventually learned to live with it, and even ended up loving my job. And even though there was always that chance of danger, Bren never flinched from it, and I have to believe that strength she's always shown will get her through this. It has to, she doesn't just have herself to worry about anymore."

Penny blanched. "Oh God, I forgot about Alex."

Sweets pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "Pen, Brennan will be fine. Booth will find her. And then this will all be over and I promise…" He leaned back to look her in the eye. "I will open that private practice we talked about."

"Really?" Her voice was small, disbelieving.

"Really."

Angela smiled. "Good for you, Sweets. You are a wonderful psychologist; you could do so much good in the private sector."

"Thanks, Angela." He stood and kissed Penelope on the top of her head. "Everything will be alright. Just keep thinking that. Okay?"

"Yeah." She managed a smile. "You've never steered me wrong before, I can roll with that."

"Awesome." He kissed her again, grabbed his coffee and left the kitchen.

"He's a good man, Pen. You're lucky." Angela said as she sat back down at the table.

Penelope nodded seriously. "Don't I know it."

B&B

Sweets stepped into the sun room, and seeing Cam and Gus, decided to back out quietly. But Cam saw him before he could make his escape, and called him back.

"Sweets, it's okay. We were just talking. Come on in."

"Thanks. I'm just trying to get a feel for how everyone is doing." He sat on the edge of one of the soft chairs, leaning forward.

Gus and Cam looked to each other for a moment before Gus answered. "We're doing okay, considering. How is Charlie doing? Booth?"

Sweets cleared his throat, buying himself a moment. He wasn't sure if Gus knew about Charlie's pregnancy, and he didn't want to be the one to reveal that little tidbit. "Uh, Charlie is about the same. Struggling a little with guilt about Brennan, but she's strong. I'm keeping one eye on her, though."

Cam nodded. "And Booth?"

He chuckled a little, nervously. "Well, I'm a little scared to go check on him right now."

"Yeah. Seeley can be terrifying when he's focused. When the Gravedigger had Brennan and Hodgins he was like a caged tiger. Controlled, but only just. And at that time, they were just partners, although the love was certainly there. This time…I don't know. It just means so much more, as bad as that sounds."

Gus shook his head. "No, I get it. They have a life, a child together. Hell, she is his life. If it were me…"

Sweets nodded. "I know. I know…I don't know what I would do…."

"Which is why I think we need to keep more of a watch on him than Charlie." Cam said. "Just…to make sure that he keeps that focus, and doesn't flinch."

"Flinch?" Sweets asked, eyebrows raised.

Gus understood. "Nothing worse for a sniper than waiting and waiting for your target…and when the moment of truth comes…."

"You flinch." Sweets nodded. "I get it. Mission blown."

"Exactly." Cam stood and offered her hand to Gus. "Look, you need to go check on him, Sweets. Don't be afraid, he loves you as much as he loves any of us. You're family. And he knows, deep down, that you're only there because you care. And honestly? Right now you might be the only one who can reach him, where he is, and make sure that he can complete the mission."

"You really think so?" Sweets asked quietly, inwardly awed by Cam's complete trust in him.

"I do, Sweets. Go…talk to Booth. You can do it." With that, Cam and Gus walked out without a backward glance.

Sweets sat back in his chair and sighed. Down deep, he trusted his abilities and his training, but dealing with Seeley Booth had always been another animal entirely, and something about this whole situation was making him question if he or anyone was really capable of handling it at all. With another sigh, he stood up and headed for the den, mentally preparing himself to focus on the case while being whatever help he could be for his friend.

B&B

"Mrs. Booth, I'm sorry I didn't allow you much time to read over the records that I sent you." Tucker called out as he descended the stairs and entered the room where Brennan and Clay were being held.

Brennan raised her chin in defiance, "Don't worry, they're being examined. Every word is being analyzed and dissected at this very moment by a highly trained profiler."

Tucker nodded, "Figured as much…I'm not worried, they give nothing away while revealing everything – I was very careful." He leaned down toward her and asked, "Did you at least get my note? I wanted you to know that we're the same."

"Stop it." Clay rasped. Tucker turned; surprised by the first time in eight long days Clay spoke to him. Locking eyes with him, Clay explained slowly, "Leave her out of this, this is between you and I."

"Well now, the Speaker speaks…." Tucker smiled and kicked an old bottle cap across the floor, "You're right, this has nothing to do with her. But you're wrong thinking this is between me and you. This is between me and Ms. Charlotte – always has been and always will be."

"What is this exactly?"

Tucker hopped up on the table across from them and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag before answering Brennan's question, "You don't need to worry about that Mrs. Booth, as I said it doesn't concern you."

"I beg to differ." Brennan mumbled.

"What was that, Doc?" Tucker leaned forward, swinging his legs as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"You've involved me and my family so, now it concerns me."

"I suppose…In a roundabout way, you might be right but you really need to blame your involvement on Ms. Charlotte. If she had just done what she was supposed to instead of giving into what felt good neither of you would be here."

"What felt good?" Clay asked.

"That's what I said." He slid off the table and started to pace in front of his captive audience. "For four years I have watched her time and time again stray from the woman she was meant to be. First with Sarge, although the lack of tenderness and commitment there didn't really cause any serious issues with her destiny, but with you," he paused and pointed at Clay, "it was an entirely different story."

"You're punishing her because she fell in love with me and not you?"

"I, unlike you, was never naïve enough to think I was worthy of her love. No one is worthy." He took another long drag of his cigarette before flicking it onto the floor, "I am punishing her now only because she allowed herself to be controlled by you. She gave into you and gave up her destiny. That's just something I couldn't idly watch and not try to correct. She'll thank me for interfering someday – I know she will."

"You won't live long enough for her to have that chance." Brennan spat at him, unable to remain calm.

Tucker chuckled as he turned to head back up the stairs. "We'll see about that."

When Clay was certain they were alone again, he turned to Brennan, "He wouldn't…I mean, there's no way he would be able-"

Brennan cut him off and assured him, "He won't be able get to her, Agent Blanc wouldn't let that happen. He's a very good man, very loyal to you and Charlotte."

He shook his head, "Yeah, I know you're right." He was quiet for a moment and then smiled, "You know, he was the first person Charlie wanted to tell about the baby because she loved the idea of 'Uncle Gus', this is a hell of a way for him find out about it."

"I don't know that anyone other than me knows Charlotte is pregnant. She only told me after I noticed."

Clay opened his mouth to respond but fell silent at the sound of the door at the top of the stairs being slammed shut with great force.

B&B

Sweets stood in the doorway watching Booth for a moment, noting his intense focus on the whiteboard. Occasionally, he would move to pick up his coffee cup and take a sip, and then move his concentration back to the case notes written in front of him. It was almost hypnotic, Sweets thought to himself. That drive and absolute determination all centered on one goal…getting Brennan and Clay back alive.

"What do you have for me, Sweets?" Booth asked suddenly without even looking at the door.

Sweets jumped a little at the sudden recognition of his presence. "Oh. Uh…I just thought I would let you know that Charlie and I discussed it, and we believe that Tucker has them both in the same place, and that it's definitely here in DC."

Booth finally turned and looked the younger man in the eye, then gestured him over to the small loveseat near the fireplace. "What makes you both so sure he's still in town?"

Sweets crossed the room and sat down, leaning back to try and relax. Booth's concentration was once again on the whiteboard even as he spoke. "Well, since he's alone he's going to have to keep them in one place, so he doesn't have to move around anymore than necessary. And he's going to want to stay in his comfort zone, so local is the logical call. My best guess is an abandoned building without a lot of street traffic."

Nodding, Booth made a few notes on the board. "Any thoughts on why he took Bones?" His calm question ended with a slight crack in his voice, finally betraying a bit of the terror he was feeling on the inside.

"Yeah. The trigger was probably when the papers announced you'd brought Kinser in as a person of interest. He knew you were getting close so he thought taking Brennan would split your focus."

"Fat chance."

"Yeah." Sweets nodded imperceptibly. "Listen, Booth…"

"Sweets." Booth turned and regarded his friend closely. "I know you're worried about me. All I can tell you is…don't. On top of everything else, I don't need to be thinking about whether everyone is watching me, wondering when I'm going to snap. I won't, because that kind of thing won't help Brennan or Clay. Am I worried? Hell yes. Terrified? Of course. Am I going to bring that son of a bitch in one way or the other? You'd better f*cking believe it. But am I going to lose it because I can't stop thinking about how Bones disappeared from right under my nose? No. Absolutely not. Because it doesn't help anything." Booth took a deep breath through his nose and blew it out quickly. "I have this, Sweets. Okay?"

"Okay."

Booth raised one eyebrow, almost amused. "Okay? What, you're not going to try to shrink me about this?"

"Nope."

"Can I ask why?"

Sweets leaned forward a bit and looked Booth in the eye. "Because you wouldn't lie about something like that, you know how much is at stake here. And I know you trust me to help you if you really do need help. So I have to trust you to ask for it."

Booth ran a hand along the back of neck and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Sweets."

"Booth!" Hodgins, followed closely by Cam, entered the den with a sheath of papers in his hand. "We got the results from the particulate tests on the journals."

"And?" Booth asked, making a 'get on with it' motion with his hand.

"Yeah. Well, two of the journals had almost nothing on them. Some random sand, nothing outstanding. No fingerprints on any of them. The last journal, however…had some interesting results."

"Like…?"

"Well, for starters, concrete. Tiny grains of it embedded in the slight scratches on the outside of the book. It looks almost like someone slid it across a floor. But the really weird part is that it also contained EtOH, sugar cane, Humulus lupulus, Hordeum vulgare and minute traces of grapes."

"English, please Hodgins!" Booth was close to losing his temper.

"Right. Ethanol, common sugar, hops, and barley."

Booth's eyes widened. "Ethanol….hops….barley?"

Cam noticed Booth's shoulders tighten as he whipped his head around to stare at the picture of Clay on the board. "What, Seeley? What is it?"

"Son of a bitch! Get Gus, I know where they are!"