Upon
hearing the scream, Booth and Howie jumped up from their kitchen
chairs, drawing their weapons as they ran. Entering the
bedroom, they saw someone
standing over Zack's bed with a knife
in his hand.
"Tommy, why are you doing this?" Zack asked his old school peer, the one who had killed Kenny in front him all those years ago. Fear tinged his voice.
"Because you stole Kenny from me" He tightened his grip on the knife.
Booth and Howie trained their guns on the intruder, hoping they didn't have to use them.
"He
was mine, and you stole him. We were perfectly happy until you
transferred to our school. He told me that you and he had more in
common with each other. I didn't care about what we had in
common. I was with him because he helped me in my classes and I
offered him protection from the bullies. But you, you just
waltzed in and stole him because you're both
brainy. He
seemed happy, but he was mine damn it!" Tommy shouted, wildly
waving around the knife.
Booth and Howie moved closer with guns trained, which caught the attention of their target. Tommy made a cut in to Zack's leg, nothing deep, just enough to let Booth and Howie know that he was serious.
"Oh
look at this, the brave wing commander coming to your rescue."
Tommy sneered.
"How did you know I was an officer?" Howie
asked as he put
his gun away and started to make his way towards
Tommy; he knew Booth had his back.
"Are you all right Zack?" Howie questioned his younger partner when he noticed the blood slowly oozing out of the cut.
"I'm fine" Zack replied, applying pressure to the wound.
"I
followed you, and I have friends in high places. And it doesn't
hurt that I also work at the Jeffersonian." Tommy said as he went
to cut Zack's other leg. Booth knew he should intervene, but
he didn't have a clear shot with
the way that Tommy had Zack
tied to the bed.
"When did you find out?" Booth asked, his gun never wavering.
"As
soon as he turned up at the Jeffersonian." Tommy looked for the
perfect place to stab Zack so his death would be quick.
"Why."
Zack whispered as he looked between Howie, Booth, and the knife that
Tommy held in his hand
"Because you don't deserve happiness"
Tommy screamed as he went for Zack's heart with the knife. Booth shot Tommy in the shoulder, causing the
assailant to drop
the knife. Booth quickly went over and hand cuffed Tommy,
dragging
him out of the room leaving Howie and Zack by themselves.
"I
didn't know Kenny was with Tommy, we just fell in love"
Zack
whispered. Howie wrapped his arms around him, pulling
his lover close.
"You don't have any one else do you?" Zack asked, slightly nervous.
"No Zack, you will always be the only one for me." Howie replied as he continued to comfort Zack.
"Good" was the only thing Zack could manage as he began to relax. It was over, at least that's what they thought.
