What? Only a day after the other one?

Yes! I had free time for the first time in… some time. And wrote this. ;)

.

.

.

.

CHAPTER 14

"There's something I still don't get."

"What is it, Angela?"

"How did Stoker escape from prison? It's just impossible. I don't believe it."

"They're still investigating that. We don't know yet. Can you please concentrate on the scenario again?"

"I'm out of ideas, Brennan. Zip. Zero."

I sighed, exasperated. Cam was calling me from the platform, two interns were walking toward me with questions, and Hodgins still hadn't identified the knife used to kill Jeanie Whitmore.

"Try harder, please."

I had Angela thinking about Anne's blood, because we still didn't know what had happened.

"What about Booth?"

"What about him?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Defensive, much? I meant what ideas has he come up with."

"He's trusting you, actually. I've got to go help Cam, Ange. We'll talk later."
"Right."

I was about to leave, when a voice inside of me told me stop by the door. It wasn't my voice, however. Instead, it sounded strangely like Booth's.

"Angela, I think something's wrong with you. And we can't talk about it calmly now, but I'd like you to know that if you need anything, I'm here."

She looked up, so surprised at this I was almost hurt.

"Really?" and then a wide, beautiful smile. "Thanks sweetie. I appreciate that."

I nodded and closed the door behind me.

*

"Dr Brennan!"

"Yes, Cam?"

"I have bad news."

She was still leaning over Jeanie's clothes, looking at them through a microscope. Since we'd already examined every bit through much more powerful machines, I knew she just didn't want to look me in the face.

"What's wrong?"

"Tomorrow night is the fundraising party I told you about. Do you remember?"

"Yes." I had. I remembered perfectly, and I had no intention whatsoever to go. "I assume you want me to attend, Cam, but I'm not going. There's work to do. I'm sorry."

"It's at ten o'clock at night, Dr Brennan. Are you telling me you were planning on working until that time? Because if you were, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take serious action regarding your hours here…"

I felt a dark fury grip me, but tried to ignore it. She didn't understand. She didn't see the young girl, afraid, hurt and alone.

"…and until Booth gives us more to work on, there's no more evidence to be found here!"

"We haven't found it yet. But there will be evidence. There always is. Something that will help us. I'm not going tomorrow. We still haven't identified the knife…"

"If you haven't found it today, Dr Brennan, another nine hours tomorrow should be more than enough."

"Nine hours means working until seven. You'd give me two extra hours?" She usually wanted me to leave by five.

"Yes. If you leave work at seven you have time to get ready and come to the party…"

"No, Dr Saroyan. My decision is final."

She was really angry now.

"Dr Brennan, I have always respected your opinions and most of the time, I let you express them freely. I also have great admiration for your work and your intellect, but I am your superior. I am always your superior, and it's my decision. It's important to our sponsors that you attend this party, and if it were a great effort on your part I wouldn't even ask. But to come for an hour and talk to two or three people is not an effort. Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Excuse me?"

Stubborn? Was I stubborn?

I measured the possibilities, trying to think of the best course this discussion could take.

In the end, I chose to go, of course. But Cam was wrong. Being here and not working was going to take a very great effort.

"Fine. I will come for one hour, and then I'll leave."

"Thank you, Dr Brennan."

I left to go and find Hodgins, then remembered.

"Was this the bad news?"

"Yes, Brennan."

I nodded and left the platform.

"Hodgins!"

But as he came toward me, my phone rang.
"Brennan."

"Hey, it's me."

"Hi Booth. What is it?"

"I'm going to interrogate Frank Bram, and they want you be in there with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, do it together. He thinks we're a couple. We're supposed to act like couple, remember?"

"Oh." I hadn't. I had completely forgot.

"My boss thinks it will throw him. And I kind of agree… if you don't mind…?"

"No, of course not. I'll come right away."

"Great. See you at the Hoover in half an hour?"

"Yes. Bye."

"Bye, Bones."

Hodgins walked up to me.

"I'm trying to narrow it down, and I'm down to three brands."

I was surprised. "Excellent work, Hodgins. Call me as soon as you know, please."

"Of course, Dr B. You're going to interrogate that sick guy?"

Even tough there was no evidence to suggest Mr Bram was suffering an illness, I let it pass.

"Yes, Mr Bram."

"Good luck."

"Thanks. See you later, I'll come back as soon as the interrogation is over."

*

"Remember, just act like a team, no good cop bad cop stuff, just two against one."

"That tactic is rarely used, actually."

"Just listen to me, please, Agent Booth."

We were being given last minute advice by Sweets, but Booth just rolled his eyes.
"And no need to mention your relationship unless he brings it up, okay?"

"We know that, Dr Sweets." I said quickly.

"Okay. Good luck."

He went into the observation room and we entered the interrogation room.

Bram wasn't sitting, he was standing in the middle, arms folded across his chest.

"Why the hell do you want me again? I thought you'd finally caught the real killer?"

"Shut the fuck up."

I knew Booth often became someone else in this room, but I hadn't expected him to change so much. "Sit down, you asshole."

Bram raised his eyebrows at me but sat. "Your boyfriend is pretty rough, huh?"

"You have no idea." I said lightly.

"What am I supposed to have done now?"

"You're a creep, and I don't like- stop staring at her." His tone became steel suddenly. Bram chuckled.
"Overprotective, much? She's a strong girl, I think she can take it."

"Is that what you liked about Lily, Frank? She was strong?" I asked.

"Lily taught preschool. She was kind and beautiful. Like a flower."

"Have you ever heard the name Sandra Llevot?" Booth cut in.

"Nope."

"Helen Evans?"
"No."

"Frank, can you tell us about Margaret?" I said, sitting down to face him.

"Sure. I worked for her for two months, then her husband fired me 'cause the idiot felt threatened…"

"Threatened?"

"Yeah. Margaret was falling for me. She didn't realise it, but I knew, I could tell. She loves me. And her husband was an asshole." His eyes shone with fervour. I wanted to yell that he was deluded, but knew I couldn't.

"Why, Frank?"

"He worked for the mob! Helping finance that guy Bohnn's drug operation… Kevin Stoker was a bad man."

"And you're a good man?" the disbelief was clear in my tone.

"Look, you people don't understand. All I ever did was love her. Lily. And then she died… how does this have to do with me wanting to hurt Margaret?"

"Did you meet Anne?"

"Anne?"

"Yeah, Margaret's pretty daughter. Sixteen, blue eyes, dark hair…"

"Yeah, I saw her a couple of times. Very pretty, but not as much as Margaret. Or you." He added, looking at me again.

And suddenly Booth grabbed my arm and ran out of the interrogation room. He slammed the door behind us, breathing heavily, just as Sweets came toward us.

"I realised it at the same time you did, man…"

"Shit! What have I done? Shit!"

I didn't understand a thing.

"What's happening? What happened?"
"Bram's victim profile… if he was the killer, the profile was middle-aged, brunette, tall, and beautiful." As he said this word, his eyes pleaded with me. For what, I didn't know. "Well educated, usually rich, and always, always in a relationship with someone else."

I still didn't understand. Why was Booth afraid?

"I don't understand."

"Dr Brennan, by lying to Bram and telling him that you and Agent Booth have a sexual relationship, you now fit his profile exactly."

The first thing I could think to say was: "I'm thirty two."

"In this case, age is the less determining variant!" Booth exploded. "What have I done? Fuck!" he punched the wall and cursed again.

I wasn't scared, though. I'd faced worse. Frank Bram wasn't even the prime suspect, he was just a man with a twisted mind who deluded himself.

"I'll be fine. Let's just get back in there."

"No way, you're not seeing him again."

"Actually, Agent Booth, I think it's a good idea. As long as Dr Brennan shows herself completely devoted to you, we'll stop this right now and Bram won't be able to lie to himself about her affections. It might be best than if she doesn't go back in, which, seeing as how you dragged her outside, would make him feel protective of her."

Booth nodded. "Okay, that's right. But you stay beside me, Bones. Just act, okay? Act like we've done before and we'll be fine. I'll keep you safe."

Sweets raised his eyebrows at this, but didn't comment.

"Okay. I'll act."

"I'll tell you exactly what to do, Dr Brennan. Just follow my every instruction and you'll be fine. Remember, I'm always in your ear."

I nodded, and Booth opened the door again. He held it for me and walked in after me.

"What the hell was that?" Bram asked, looking amused.

"I felt like kissing her." Booth spat, and I wondered if Bram would believe this. It sounded ludicrous to me.

But Bram laughed. "Whatever, dude."

A tinny voice spoke in my ear. "Hold Agent Booth's hand, Dr Brennan."

I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself.

It was going to be a very long interrogation.

.

.

.

.

Are you familiar with the concept of subliminal messages? Here's an example for you:

Reviews are not something I'll be asking for this time

Elephants are not purple

Volcanoes are hot (though not as much as Booth)

Iwould like to eat my desserts off of a certain FBI agent. No, you'll never guess which one.

Even though he loves Bones, so that may not work out.

Well, I could always write about them obsessively…