A/N: I took a break from Nano to get this chapter finished and up. I'm not entirely happy with it - I think I stink at writing fight scenes.
Oh, and if you're thinking about killing me, please give me one more chapter to change your mind...
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones. Trust me, I own too much stuff already.
Squints to the Rescue:
"You know," Hodgins said, his knuckles white on the steering wheel as he kept his eyes glued to the rear bumper of Norman Bear's bronze Toyota, "when Ange and Can find out what we're doing, they're gonna kill us."
Brennan was leaning forward, as if there was a line binding her body to the car driving in front of them. "I doubt they'll kill us, Jack. I'm sure they'll be upset, but as long as we rescue Booth I think they'll understand."
Jack followed Bear as the Toyota turned right. "I can't believe you let him have our phones! We could've had backup and caught this woman!"
"Which is why Ms. Taffet told us to surrender our phones," Brennan snapped. "At least we're in our own vehicle. Bear will give us our phones as soon as this other woman is safely on her way, and we'll save Booth."
"And you're OKAY with that?" Hodgins growled. "This woman is just as responsible for what happened to us as Taffet is!"
"Given the choice between letting this woman go and allowing Booth to die, I choose to let her go!" Brennan said. "And I don't care if you like it!"
Hodgins clenched his jaw for a long minute, following Bear as he continued to lead them to somewhere unknown.
"Look," he muttered. "I don't want Booth to die. You know that."
"I know," Brennan nodded, wondering how much farther. "I just hope we're not too late."
It seemed to take forever, but finally they turned into a seedy-looking storage complex. Bear led them down a couple of rows and finally pulled to a stop near a few of the larger ones. Bear got out of his car and moved to the front of Hodgins' vehicle. "Stay here, I'll give you your phones soon."
He walked around the corner. The minute he was out of sight, Hodgins turned off his car and opened his door.
Brennan followed. She wished she had her gun. But Taffet had made Bear check both her and Hodgins for weapons. With Booth's life at stake, Brennan was willing to make a number of concessions.
Hodgins examined Bear's car. Brennan shook her head. "He put our phones in the trunk. Do you have something we can use to pry it open?"
"No, I cleaned out the trunk of my car the other day. No one told me I'd need to break into a vehicle." Hodgins thought a moment, then drew back his fist and hit the driver's side window.
Brennan winced. Hodgins shook his hand and glared at the unmarked glass. "That always works in the movies."
"..not leaving yet!" a woman's voice shouted.
Brennan followed the sound around the corner Bear had disappeared to. She saw a black SUV parked in front of an open storage space. She moved quietly, hearing the whisper of Jack's shoes on the asphalt as he followed.
"Katie, listen, Heather's worried about the cops figuring it out. You haven't heard any noise from him, right? He's probably dead already."
Brennan bit her lower lip to keep from screaming at Bear's words. She got to the edge of the doorway and leaned inside.
Half of the large storage space was stacked with furniture and containers of various sizes. On the other side, there was a comfortable dark blue recliner next to a table.
But what caught Brennan's attention was not the sturdy looking blond woman arguing with Norman Bear. It was the large silver chest freezer behind them.
A hum told Brennan the freezer was on. A number of cinderblocks were piled on top of the lid. With a bolt of fear Brennan realized they were there so a person inside couldn't force it open.
She heard Hodgins mutter "cubic feet" and turned to see Jack's eyes locked on the freezer. His grim expression added to her concern. "How long?"
Hodgins shook his head. "I don't know when he was put in…" he gave Brennan a look of sadness. "…there's not a lot of air in there. He'd have a few hours, if that."
Katie turned towards the voices near the door. Her face twisted in fury. "What are they doing here? Did you bring them here?"
"They're gonna let you go, Katie," Bear said, his hands on her shoulders. "Get in the car and wait for me. I'm gonna give them my phone and then we'll go."
"No!" Katie said, stamping her feet. "He might still be alive. He beat the odds once I won't take the chance he'll do it again!"
Brennan took a step forward, her heart pounding. "We just want Booth back. Please, that's all we want."
"That's all we want," the woman parroted, yanking away from Bear. "What about what I want? I want my sister! But you made sure I'll never see her again!"
"Sister?" Hodgins asked.
"H-Heather Taffet doesn't have a sister," Brennan stammered. She took a step closer…she had to get to that freezer…
"Your smart little friends didn't find out about me, did they?" Katie taunted. "Heather protected me! She loves me! And you took her! So you get to lose someone too! It's fair!"
Bear had picked up something from the table. "Sorry, hon," he muttered.
The warning cost him. Katie whirled around and grabbed his wrist before he could taser her. "No! You can't help them!" She twisted his arm so the weapon struck him in the stomach. The charge sent the man spinning, crashing into the table and breaking it under him.
Brennan was moving before the sound of breaking wood died away. Katie turned and snarled, leaping to meet Brennan halfway. Both women went crashing to the floor.
As Brennan fought the woman on top of her, she saw Hodgins heading over to help. "I'm fine!" She shouted. "Get those blocks off the freezer!"
Hodgins saw his boss punch the Gravedigger's sister and decided she had it under control. He climbed up on the freezer and began to pull off cinderblocks, tossing them to the floor.
Brennan knew martial arts, and that should have given her the advantage. But Katie was tremendously strong and enraged, which made her more than a match for the doctor. Katie grabbed the lamp on the floor and struck Brennan in the head, stunning her briefly. The next thing Brennan knew Katie had her hands around the anthropologist's throat.
"How touching," Katie whispered, leaning close to Brennan. "You're going t die for lack of air, just like your partner!"
The mention of Booth jolted Brennan into action. She broke the woman's hold on her, pushing her back. Katie got to her feet, the Taser Bear had dropped in her hand.
"Dr. B!" Hodgins shouted, the last cinderblock in his hands.
Brennan pulled her knees to her chest. As Katie rushed her, she threw her feet out in a violent kick.
The force of the blow sent Katie reeling back. She crashed into the freezer. Hodgins was thrown off balance, the cinderblock slipping from his grip.
It hit Katie a glancing but strong blow. The sharp crack of breaking bone sounded through the storage area. She crumpled to the floor.
"Katie!" Bear staggered to his feet and stumbled over to his girlfriend. "No! Katie!"
Brennan got to her knees. "Bear! Where are the keys to the freezer?"
Hodgins had jumped down from the freezer. "Bear, she's breathing, let's get her out of the way, and get help."
Brennan felt her heart slam in her chest. She began to paw through the ruin of the table, searching for keys. She spotted a silver gleam and grabbed up a small key ring.
Hodgins helped Bear carry Katie to a couch. "Just stay out of the way, man. Grab your phone and call for help."
Brennan ran to the freezer, her hands shaking. She managed to fit the proper key into the lock and twisted it. She pulled the freezer open. The sight it revealed filled her with horror.
Booth lay unmoving at the bottom of the freezer. A bloody scratch stood out on his white face, and she saw blood on his hand.
His lips were blue.
"Hodgins!" she screamed. "I need your help!"
She bent over the edge of the freezer, reaching down and grabbing one of Booth's arms. The shock of his cold skin gave her an additional surge of adrenaline, and she struggled to pull him out.
Hodgins was suddenly beside her, and together they got Booth out of the freezer and on the floor. Brennan put her cheek to his mouth, her eyes glued to her partner's chest.
Nothing. No breath stirred her cheek. His chest didn't move.
"He's not breathing!"
Hodgins turned to see Bear standing nearby, his phone in his hand, staring at Booth. With a curse, the scientist got to his feet. "Call 911! Get them to send help and patch you through to the FBI!"
When Bear didn't answer, Hodgins slapped the man, hard. "Now!"
Bear blinked, and then began pushing buttons on his phone.
While Hodgins had talked to Bear, Brennan cupped her hand under her partner's neck, lifting it in the way the CPR training Cam kept everyone up-to-date on had taught. She pinched Booth's nostrils shut and began to breathe for her partner.
Hodgins dropped to his knees beside Booth. Brennan watched as he pressed two fingers to the FBI agent's neck.
"No pulse," Jack muttered. He began chest compressions. "Come on, Booth! We got you outta the freezer, now you gotta help us out. Come on, come on!"
Brennan couldn't spare breaths for speaking, so she pled with her partner in her mind as she continued to press her lips to his, breathing for him.
I'm sorry. You were right. I should have listened. My desire to close this horrible chapter in my life clouded my judgment. Please, I'll do anything…I'll never downplay your gut again…only please, please, don't leave me…
A/N2: Am I a bad person for wishing Brennan had to give Booth mouth-to-mouth in "Hero?" Ah, desires like that are what make fanfic writers write...