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Disclaimer: I don't own Bones but I think I may like HH again after Monday's episode...just a little.
Three hours later, Clark, Brennan, and Booth arrived in New York City. After getting past several roadblocks, they finally arrived at the chaos that was JFK International Airport. They walked solemnly towards the last set of road blocks on the runway. They were informed that it was going to be several hours before it would be safe for them to go in, but they couldn't leave as they were transfixed by what they saw.
Ahead of them was twisted metal blackened with smoke with firefighters still putting out flames. The fuselage and both wings were separated from the main parts of the plane. What the three recognized as body parts were burned and scattered among the wreckage. On their right were tables of damaged items that survived the wreckage.
After about five minutes, Clark felt tears in his eyes. "Doctor Brennan…Agent Booth, if you don't mind, I'm going to wait in the VIP lounge until Dr. Saroyan and the others arrive."
Brennan felt similar emotion and could not fault her protégé for needing an escape, however temporary. "Of course, Doctor Edison but they may not arrive for several hours. Do you want to check into your room first? We can call you when we are ready."
"No, the VIP lounge is fine."
"One drink, Clark." Booth said as the young man turned to walk away. He knew how addictive personalities could begin. "We will need you when the others get here."
Clark nodded and went into the lounge. The couple watched him order and drink a shot then turned to each other.
"Booth."
"Yes, Bones."
"Can we check into our room? I find a need to be alone with you until the others come."
Booth took his wife's hand before picking up their bags and walking over to the airport hotel in silence. When they get to the room, they come together in a rush and rip each other's clothes off, each feeling a frantic need to forget the horror of what they saw, if only for a short time.
They fell to the bed naked as they touched and loved desperately with their hands and mouths. After taking each other in greedily, each are at their limit.
"Booth, please."
Booth ensured she was ready for him before filling her with himself. He pushed himself in and out in a rapid pace, but when she demanded more, he gave more. Finally, each hit their peaks and came together.
When complete, they got close with Brennan putting her head in the crook of Booth's arm and her head on his chest.
"You never get over it, do you, Booth."
"No, Bones, you don't. The day we do is the day we need to hang it up."
"What do I hang up?"
"No Bones, it means that we stop what we are doing….that we have lost our ability to see victims as people, not just as casualties in a crime. It's what makes us such a good team. What one of us lacks the other provides….a true partnership."
Booth and Brennan sit in contemplative silence as they bask in the glow of their closeness, grateful to be together.
Due to the chaos, Hodgins, Angela and the squinterns assigned to the case along with Sweets didn't arrive until midnight. When the psychologist took the agent aside to inquire about anyone having issues, Booth quietly pointed Booth in Clark's direction.
It wasn't until dawn broke early the next morning that the team could go in and do their jobs. As the squints worked on the wreckage, Booth along with Sweets talked to witnesses and investigators.
Per witnesses, the plane seemed to be flying towards the runway normally but as it got closer the angle trajectory was several degrees off, putting it in a headfirst course with the runway. Suddenly the nose went up as the pilot moved in to correct, but it was too late as the plane crashed into the runway at a 30 degree angle, killing all on board. It would be several weeks before the NTSB and the FBI would complete their joint investigation.
Around 7:00 AM, while the team was outside sifting through the wreckage for evidence and body recovery, Booth was with his wife talking near the table of recovered objects.
"Bones, Cam should be here. I know she told Hodgins she would be following as soon as she finished some legalities, but it isn't like her to not call if she is tied up with something in a situation like this."
"Perhaps you should call, Booth. I too am worried. Mr. Vaziri's assistance is greatly needed here and it is out of his character to not be here when I need him."
As Booth was going to dial, his phone rang. When he saw it was the pathologist, he picked up. "Cam, where are you? Where is Arastoo?"
Booth only heard a frantic voice talking very fast. "What—Wh-Wait slow down, Cam. What's wrong…he's got his Green Card, right? So what is—no way. Did you call—of course he got called out at the last minute. Okay, I'll get down there as soon as I can. Bye, Cam."
Brennan saw the look of worry on his face. "Booth, what's wrong?"
"Cam and Arastoo were about to leave last night, but he was arrested by ICE for being undocumented. When Arastoo told them he had a Green card and had filed the paperwork to become a naturalized citizen, both items were mysteriously missing. Cam tried pulling up the Jeffersonian's copy and that one is missing, too. She tried calling Alex, but he was called away yesterday because his sister was in a car accident and is unavailable."
"So Arastoo's legal documentation in this country is missing?"
"Yes. Right now he's been detained as an illegal and Cam is terrified right now. Care to make a guess on who probably did this?"
"Pelant."
"Bones I have to get some things together quick. Can you call and arrange a flight for me out of Philadelphia? Wait, with the mess, I'm better off driving back to Washington."
"Booth, it's about four hours."
"Yeah, but the airports are all on alert because of this even though it looks to be mechanical failure. I'm going to drive." Suddenly a thought came to him. "I better call Max and let him know I'm coming home."
Booth hit the speed dial and saw Rebecca's name come up. "Shit, hit the wrong one. Can you call Max since she's going to answer in a minute and I don't want her calling back bitching because she'll think something is wrong with Parker."
As Brennan dialed her father's number, a loud ring could be heard. The duo turned to the direction of the ring, which was one of the tables of objects recovered from the wreckage. Both froze as Booth heard Rebecca's voice mail.
This is Rebecca Stinson. I cannot answer your phone right now but please leave your name and number and I will return your call as soon as I can pull myself away from my latest case. Good Bye. BEEP!
At that moment, Max answered on Brennan's phone. "Dad, I-I have to call you back."
After the anthropologist hung up, they walked over to the table in question filled with dread. After a pregnant silence filled with tension, Booth hit Rebecca's speed dial again. When the phone rang, they dug through the pile until they found a Droid Razr Maxx HD that miraculously had little damage.
When Booth turned it over, his blood ran cold as the ringing phone showed a picture of Rebecca and Parker in the wallpaper. When the call went to voicemail again, he touched the lock button to unlock the phone. He moved to the PHONE icon and scrolled down until he found his name and then Bones' name and number.
"Oh God, please let this be a mistake" Booth said in a panic as they raced over to another table where the plane manifesto was placed. He frantically scrolled down until he found the name he dreaded.
REBECCA STINSON ROW 16 SEAT A
Brennan saw her husband still himself in shock. "Booth…Booth!"
When he turned her blood chilled as she saw the look in his eyes. Cold….set…deadly. "Booth, talk to me!"
Seeing her blue eyes turn scared brought him out of his stupor. "It was Pelant, Bones."
"You don't know that, Booth."
"Yes, Bones I do. Somehow he found out Rebecca was coming to the States and sabotaged her plane."
"Did she say anything to you about this, Booth?"
"I knew she was coming to Boston, but she told me she wasn't leaving until tomorrow."
"Why was she on this flight, Booth?"
"I don't know, Bones! This was Pelant. You know it and I know it. Somehow he found out she was coming here and fucked up her plane." He got tears in his eyes as he fought against his emotions. "Maybe she missed her flight?"
Brennan saw her husband's desperation, but was unable to get a word in as he continued to talk.
"Maybe she was supposed to get on and missed her flight but didn't get her luggage? She's probably at Heathrow right now swearing like a sailor waiting for the next flight—"
"Booth."
"Maybe her bags were packed on this flight by accident instead of to Boston—"
"Booth!"
Booth stopped talking. Seeing Brennan's eyes made the reality sink in….the fact that his son's mother was probably dead.
"Bones, why did he have to kill her….the mother of my son?" He fought a tear for the woman he once loved. "She did nothing to him but be a part of my life."
Brennan took him in her arms as he cried. After about five minutes, she knew that she would have to take charge for the moment. Slowly, she removed herself from the embrace so she could look at her husband.
"Booth, you need to get home to Parker. He can't find out about this from anyone else."
Booth nodded. "I know….I have to tell him. Bones, call Max and tell him to keep the kids and Emma away from the TV. It's going to take me about three hours to get there with the siren. Do you have Alex Radzwell's phone number and his supervisor's?"
"Yes, why?"
"Keep calling Alex. Have Angela try to track him down the hospital his sister is in if you can't get through on his phone. I know he's probably worried about his sister, but tell him it's an emergency and I need him at ICE headquarters with Arastoo's Green Card. He has a copy."
Suddenly another thought came to him. "Oh, God someone has to identify her."
"I'll do it, Booth. Just go to Parker."
Booth started to run, but came back fast and kissed his wife hard and hugged her fierce. "Thank you, Bones. Thank you for being my wife."
Brennan held on tight. "Of course, Booth. I love you."
After Booth let go, Brennan watched as he ran out of the terminal towards his SUV. Alone in the room, she felt a few tears fall as she thought of the loss Parker was about to experience. For all her issues with Rebecca towards Booth over the years in regards to Parker, she did love her child.
She couldn't think of any reason why Rebecca would deserve to die this way, one that Brennan suspected the other woman knew was coming in the last few seconds of her life. She could only hope that her death was quick and didn't feel any pain as her body was broken and burned.
She wanted to believe that all this was only an accident, but after all they went through with Pelant, she had to agree with Booth. He knew computers and could manipulate anything with a well-placed Trojan Horse.
Pulling herself together, she went to update the team on Arastoo, Cam, and Rebecca.
Booth drove 85 miles per hour as he flew through New Jersey on I-95 with his siren going. Tears would intermittently fall as he thought about the mother of his son. He and Rebecca had their differences over the years but in the last few years made peace with each other for Parker's sake.
Her taking their son overseas devastated him and he suspected part of her reason was jealousy over Bones. However, in the end, she was Parker's mother and he did love her once. When he thought about having to tell his son his mother was dead he was at a loss on what to say. He hoped that by the time he got to Washington, Bones would call and say there was a mistake. However, in his heart he knew it wouldn't happen.
"Pelant, if you did this, you better leave the country because when I find you, you are dead."