That was a Wicked Episode of Bones on Thursday. Boy cans Angela and Hodgins pick a romantic setting for a wedding, or what? Great they dealt with what's her face.

Also, sorry that it's been a while, I'm working on my book and the total lack of Zack related episodes on TV didn't help much.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones. Obviously!

cloudgirl9: That really was an awesome bones episode. And No there is NO way I'm killing off my Althy.

Kaaayyytteee: Thanks for the review, glad you liked it.

Rochelle Temper: You have no idea how happy I am that you liked the last chapter, since you're now the leading expert on our dear psychologist and his past. So here's another chapter that you inspired and I encourage all of my readers to read her (Correct me if you're male) story The Heart of the Family. It will blow your mind. It totally changed my views on Sweets and if you've been with me since the beginning you know what a huge change that is.

Suezannne: Althy was kidnapped in January and this is close to March. This will be vastly different.

Alright on with the story…


Chapter 43

Bold or Stupid

Why did he need both a crowbar and a whip was beyond me. But the evidence of their effect was clearly visible on the face of our resident Psychological expert. Lance was in the corner and Jackie was handcuffed to the radiator.

"So…this would be where you kept all the victims?" I said in an attempt to make pointless conversation. I pretended to look around. "As a serial killer hangout you get an F, but you get an A for effort.

"You're witty, I'll enjoy killing you." I laughed a little. He was a fat man. Apparently all that time in prison; he had no time to exercise.

"Your entire mission was to make Lance suffer, correct?" he nodded. "Well then killing me won't get you to your goal. I could barely stand him since I fist met him."

At the Jeffersonian Dr. Brennan and Booth arrived with a possible lead. They walked up to the platform where Zack was working.

"Zack, have you seen Sweets?" asked Booth. "We need him to look at a few photos."

"He and Jackie were heading out to the parking lot when Althy chased after them. As far as I am aware they are there." His voice was smooth and calm.

My own voice was worried, frightened and most certainly aggravated. Lerner was so cocky. He thought himself a brilliant mind, yet his own work was sloppy. It was something any average cop would see on the streets. He was not brilliant he was the idiot in the class sitting with a "dunce" hat on his head in the corner of the classroom.

He plopped himself down on his throne and took out a cigar from his pocket and started smoking it. I rolled my eyes.

I stood up, my head spinning slightly. "You sir, have severe mental delusions." he puffed his cigar into my face. I coughed loudly.

"Althy shut up." begged Jackie. "He'll kill you."

"No," I said, "He won't," Lerner laughed, leaning back on the chair, "Because he's afraid."

"Afraid? Of what am I afraid off, little girl?" he asked.

Booth was screaming on the phone with Lerner's reluctant parole agent. "No you listen here, Turner. We need his address….at the very least we can rule him out as a suspect." Booth was Angry. Dr. Brennan walked over and put a hand on his shoulders. His lips let out a long breath. "Thank you, Turner." his voice was agitated, yer relieved to finally get some sort of lead. He hung up and turned to Dr. Brennan. "Let's go."

As I starred at Lerner I thought about Jack and Angela. Most likely this would all be over by the time they get back. Unless they took the jet, they weren't going to make it. I felt kind of bad ruining their honeymoon like that, but what the hell.

I think it was then or maybe earlier when I finally saw the small gash on Jackie's leg. She had a piece of her shirt tied around it, to stop the bleeding.

"You honestly think I'm afraid of you?" I asked. He swung his whip, purely for intimidating reasons. "Nice sound effect. Seriously, though. I've been buried alive, shot at, and kidnapped by a psycho. After them, you're a cranky puppy."

"Althy…" began Jackie again, "What are you trying to do, get us killed?"

"He gets a kick out of people being afraid of him." I said and turned back to Lerner. "But how do you deal with someone who isn't afraid of you?" he pulled his deadly instruments closer to his chest. "You are a pathetic, sad, little man, who is still living in the past." I took a step closer to him. "I'm not afraid of you." He dropped the crowbar and pulled out a knife from his jacket pocket. "Still not afraid."

He pushed forward, attempting to hit me with the knife. I ducked under it and kicked it away. He hit me with his fist, pushing me down to the floor. I reached for the knife. My fingers curled around it quickly. I put it under my sleeve and kept it.

Booth and Dr. Brennan were still twenty minutes away when Lerner grabbed Sweets and pushed him into the chair.

"Get up!" shouted Lerner and Lance slowly stood up trembling. Lerner pulled the whip and hit Lance full on with it. He screamed, Jackie screamed, and I tried to get to the purp named Lerner. Another blow and blood dripped out from his back. No luck. I had to get a little help.

I crawled over to Jackie who was desperately pulling on the handcuffs keeping her chained to the pipe. I slowly let the knife fall out of my sleeve and tried to pick at the lock of the handcuffs.

Another harsh blow by the whip sent Sweets to the floor.

"Take my hair clips." said Jackie. "They're in my hair." she opened her hand to show me one of the thinner clips.

So that was what she was trying to do, I thought. She was trying to pick the lock, but lock picking was a two hand job. I grabbed a second clip from her hair and quickly let her go.

"Grab the crow bar." I told her.

"This'll teach you respect." snapped Lerner. Jackie crawled over and grabbed the crowbar before slowly standing up.

We creeped up behind him: Jackie hit him with the crowbar. This allowed Lance to crawl away.

Somehow he managed to get up and grabbed his whip. He was coming towards us…there was only one thing for me to do. I kicked him and he tried to hit me. I fell back and Jackie hit him with the crowbar. He stood up and ran forward at us.

Here is where things get a little fuzzy for me. All I remember from the next sequence of events is the contact. Somewhere in the struggle I stabbed him and Jackie hit him. Who killed the bastard exactly was unclear at this point. All I knew by the time Brennan and Booth arrived was that I might have taken someone's life. Sure he was a sick bastard, but he was still a person. A nasty person, I added in my head.

Booth and Brennan did not come empty handed. They came with an ambulance and backup. Sweets was put, stomach first onto the stretcher and Jackie jumped in after him. The medical examiner arrived to look at the fresh corps

"Do you want to head to the hospital?" asked Booth.

"Y…yeah…" I said, "Jackie's going to need me. Could one of you call Zack and ask him to m...meet me there?"

Dr. Brennan nodded and dialed the Jeffersonian.

By the time we arrived at the hospital Jackie was hysterical. She was pacing with a bandaged foot and wrist.

I decided that the right thing to do was to bring her some water before confronting her. So I went down and got her some water and walked over to her. I offered her the cup. I refused to put my hand down, until she accepted the plastic water-filled cup. Reluctantly she took it and I sat her down on the nearest chair. "He's going to be perfectly fine." I said sternly, forcefully, trying to convince her of things I did not know abut.

"I…I know." she said taking a small sip of her water, letting it trickle down her pipe. She breathed out. "He…he may n…not look it, buy Lance is a fighter…"

"I know Jacks, I know." I told her.

Zack ran into the waiting room breathing heavy. He saw me and he ran up and pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

"Are you alright? Dr. Brennan mentioned you were taken to the hospital. I am afraid I assumed…." We let go and I shook my head.

"Sweets is in pretty bad shape." I said and turned to Jackie. "He'll be fine." I repeated.

Truthfully I had no way of knowing if he was going to be okay or not. I had never seen Jackie in such a state of disarray. She had been upset as often as other people, but never like this. This beard the question: what was so different about this one? Sweets did not seem all that special to me. I supposed Jackie had seen something in him.

A doctor came out starring at us. "Are you here for Lance Sweets?" Jackie all, but jumped up at the doctors words.

"I…is he okay?" she asked.

"He is currently asleep and although he received some serious damage to his back…he should eventually make a full recovery. It's pure luck that the whip he was struck with did not cause any damage to his spine. We wish to keep him here for at least two days to make sure he is healing."

"C…can we see him?" asked Jackie desperately.

"Family only." he said

"He…he doesn't have a family. His parents died a few years ago and he was an only child….please…."

"Who are you in relation to him?"

"H…his girlfriend…" the doctor nodded and she calmly, yet quickly walked into the room.

Zack turned as I took a deep breath and sat down in Jackie's vacant seat. Zack sat down next to me.

"Is something bothering you? You seem distraught."

"I…I believe I may have taken someone's life." I said and he starred at me. "What I mean is, during the struggle with Lerner, Jackie hit him with the crowbar at the same time as I stabbed him. I cannot be sure until the autopsy, but I believe one of us killed him."

"From what I understand of the laws of this country a person is lawfully not held responsible for killing another person if it was in self defense of ones life, or that of another's. You and Jackie were attempting to save your lives. As Agent Booth or Ms. Julian might say, no jury in the world will convict you." Zack wrapped an arm around me.

"Thank you! Sometimes I do appreciate when you rationalize everything."

It all felt like an uncomfortable dream. It may not specifically have been a nightmare all together, but it was a terrible dream.


Inspiration has ended and writers block has set in. PLEASE guys there is still a month until the wedding. I need help! PLEASE HELP! Again, I'm really sorry for the long wait.