[A/N: Warning: This update includes violence. Tender readers should not tread here.
I don't own Bones or its characters. Never have. Never will. I'm thinking that's a comfort to some of you in this moment.
I'm actually quite hopeful that you don't have the patience to read this long note before this chapter. But those of you who haven't seen it need to know that I love the movie Casablanca. I can't get similarities between that movie and the Bones 100th episode out of my brain, so little things keep popping up in this story. Those of you who haven't seen that incredible love story really should watch it. You will flip over the scene in the trench coats when you see similarities between that recent episode in Bones (and for other reasons I wouldn't dare spoil for you). It is a very old movie, but Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Blaine in Casablanca in a way that transcends time, completely colors black and white footage, and overshadows old, rudimentary special effects. I think you'll agree his willingness to do whatever he could for the woman he loved was very Booth-y—or, more correctly-Booth's willingness to do whatever he can for Bones is very Rick-like. Regardless, I'd forget all about watching Bones and run off with Rick if he were a real person and I could find him.
While I'm rambling on this long, I should post a public thanks to my wonderful pal GreysIsTheCatsPajamas since she sent so many of you here. I also want to thank Skole for reading this chapter and providing advice and for encouraging me so much. Skole's pretty much the cat's pajamas, too.]
Chapter Fifteen: The Truth and Its Consequences
One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. – Henry Ford
As he parked the SUV quite a long way down the street, Booth sighed and grinned. The saints had been smiling on him after all. Without arranging for it or even asking, he'd been rewarded by the opportunity to spend the evening with his two favorite people—together. Despite all the reasons the meal they were about to have should have made him nervous, he felt relieved. Bones was being very Bones-y that night. She was almost back to behaving the way with him that she had before he'd gone all Rick Blaine on her and screwed up their perfect partnership. He had missed the easy way they could just be together, and he had hopes that tonight would be the first step in putting things between them back into the right places.
Just before he had opened the door, he caught a glimpse of the brightly wrapped package Bones had left on the floorboard of the car. Smiling at her generosity and the appropriate wrapping paper he had to assume she'd consulted with a salesperson to find, he lifted the box and pulled it up onto the console intending to take it with him into Wong Foo's in case Bones wanted to let Parker open it there or if she'd agree to help him tease Parker about its contents just to build the kid's excitement. He had been turning with the package to climb out of the SUV when he'd heard the first gunshot.
Years in the military and the bureau had provided Booth with an arsenal of experience for handling dangerous situations. As it always did, the moment he heard the first gunshot, time had slowed to a pace that gave him plenty of time to assess the potential danger, formulate a plan of action, and begin to follow it through. He wondered if time in the face of danger slowed as dramatically for others as it seemed for him. He suspected that it might not—he'd often used what Bones would deny was his sixth sense to his advantage and had often been the first to react in a difficult situation because of it.
While in actuality only seconds had passed, Booth's brain and body had kicked into overdrive the moment he'd heard the first sound of danger. He'd dropped the heavy box back onto the console instantly, turned and leapt out of the vehicle not even bothering to close the door behind him, and sprinted half a block, his gun already in his normally steady hand—safety clicked off as soon as his first foot had hit the pavement. As he pressed ahead and began encountering the people running away from the sounds that were drawing him closer, Booth told himself that there was absolutely no reason to panic. The gunshots had probably been a simple mugging. Bones and Parker had had plenty of time to enter the restaurant, sit down, and even order drinks. He had no logical reason to suspect that they'd be anywhere except safe in Sid's care. Of course, Bones might feel compelled to investigate or interfere with whatever was happening nearby, but he was fast. He'd be there quickly enough to stop her from doing something risky.
At least he hoped that would be the case. He and Bones had a longstanding balance in their relationship that gave him the confidence to assume that she wouldn't dig any deeper into any situation than he could reach to extract her. And she'd had his back more than once—even killed to protect him. Despite the dangers of their work and the unpredictability of the situations they faced, he and Bones and the seamless way they worked together were a constant—as constant as his love for her.
He'd been so focused on running at breakneck speed down the street and weaving in and out between people who were fleeing frantically that Booth hadn't noticed the sheen of sweat that had broken out all over him or the way that the hairs on the back of his neck had stood up on end. These changes had nothing to do with exertion or with fear or self-preservation. Scratch that—the hair on the back of his neck standing up as if to salute the flag or something had everything to do with fear. Because as soon as he'd reached the now nearly-deserted front of Sid's dining establishment, Booth had known—he had felt deep in his gut with an absolute certainty—that his worst nightmare had come true. The multiple gunshots he'd heard from far down the street had indeed been related to his beloved son and his Bones.
As the reality of the situation hit Booth, his gut twisted unnaturally and attempted to slow him down, but he couldn't stop himself from moving forward. There were not two other people on the planet he'd work harder to protect, sacrifice more quickly to save, or give as much to keep happy and safe and surrounded by his love and adoration. He loved his son so deeply that he could not put his feelings adequately into words. He simply raced ahead toward him without considering even a momentary pause. The fact that both Parker and Bones might both be hurt—or worse-would have crippled him had he had a reason to think that he couldn't do something to stop it, to save them, to intervene. His reaction was intended to keep the balance—to reach out and protect Bones from something bad but not something they couldn't overcome working together. That's just who they were. He had to get to his partner.
In the time warp of his mind as his body hurtled down the street at top speed, Booth made a conscious decision to move boldly and without due caution. Not even glancing into Wong Foo's because he just knew they weren't inside, he raced past the restaurant and rounded the corner into the alleyway. The calm, rational, experienced part of his cop's brain was screaming at him that he'd neglected to call for backup and that he was proceeding headlong without caution into what certainly would be a highly charged, extremely dangerous situation. His rational mind was too busy telling him that he'd been an absolute smug ass for calling off the security detail he'd assigned to cover Bones without her knowing about it. He'd been pompous enough to decide that he would be adequate security for his partner until she returned home later that evening. And then he'd dropped her off (with his son, God forbid) without even considering that he might be the very person shoving her through the door of danger and into harm's way-and that he'd sent his son right along into whatever hell had befallen them.
His senses and instincts on ultra-high alert, Booth rounded the corner and sprang into the alley without even considering the need for cover or his own safety. Bile rose up into his throat as he took in the view of the young Korean gang member lying face up near the entrance to the alley with a bullet through his forehead, staring at the sky as if it might have saved him. Not really even looking at the man after that initial glance because he wasn't his son or his partner, Booth's keen eyes searched the alley frantically for his loved ones. He came to a halt abruptly, frozen in place as he saw the elder Kwon standing to the left over next to Sid's restaurant, his weapon pointed directly at the heart of Booth's partner. Standing on the opposite side of the alley and a bit farther back away from Booth, Brennan flinched when Booth showed up unexpectedly, but she did not move her weapon from where she held it trained right back on her assailant. The only sign that she was nervous was the fact that she swallowed hard when Booth appeared.
They'd been in dangerous situations before, and they now had Kwon outnumbered, but Booth was temporarily sidelined by the fact that he couldn't see his son. "Bones?" he choked out in a hoarse whisper, ignoring the evil smirk on the face of the gang leader as he regarded him before returning his icy gaze to Brennan. "Parker... Bones, where the hell is Parker?"
Swallowing hard again and squeezing her left hand where she held it firmly against her back so that she could protect him, Brennan replied quietly, "He's right here, Booth. I've got him. I've got Parker. He's fine. He's right here behind me. Tell Booth you're fine, Parker."
"I'm fine, Dad. Bones was awesome! She saved me from the bad guy, Dad. She pulled me away from him and pulled out her gun and started shooting. She's really brave, Dad. Like movie star brave."
Booth looked at Bones, his expression conveying gratitude, admiration, respect, pride, and love. "She really is, Parks. You stay right there, you hear me? Stay right behind Bones. She's got you, bud. She'll keep you safe. You're going to be okay, just remember that, okay?"
Booth really would have been more than impressed if he'd witnessed what had happened before he got to the alley. When Kwon had grabbed Bones and his thug had grasped Parker, Bones had quickly shifted her hand in her purse from her cell phone to her gun and simultaneously kicked and elbowed Kwon hard enough to make him release her. Without hesitating, Brennan had taken advantage of her captor's distress by rushing the man holding Parker, grabbing the child away from him, whirling to put herself between the child and the man's weapon, and firing off the shot that ended the man's pathetic short life.
That shot had not been the first one Booth had heard—the one that had sent him running toward them. Recovering quickly from the pain and shock of Brennan's blows, Kwon had fired a shot that hit the back of Brennan's thigh. Despite the pain and the fact that she was facing a more than skilled opponent, Brennan had managed to pull Parker to relative safety behind her, fire her own weapon to eliminate the other attacker and swing it around toward Kwon, leaving them at the stalemate Booth had seen when he had entered the alley.
"I love you, Daddy," Parker said, emotion filling his small child's voice as he used the name for his father he'd recently proclaimed he was too mature to use anymore.
"Not as much as I love you, pal," Booth said, swallowing hard and cocking his weapon as he pointed it even more firmly at Kwon.
Ever the rational one of the partnership, Brennan began speaking quickly, "Booth, you should go inside and call for backup. I... I didn't have time to call. And you should... We don't know if there are others hiding, Booth. You should..."
"Call for backup?" a wicked voice said as the barrel of a gun appeared around the corner and was pressed against Booth's temple. The gang member who'd waited until the arrival of the man they'd most wanted to capture appeared and pressed his weapon even more harshly against Booth's temple. Dammit, Booth thought, he didn't make mistakes like this–not about his work. But tonight he had made so many rookie-like mistakes. Why now when his son and his partner might have to pay for each and every one of them?
Determined not to relinquish his weapon while he was still breathing and had other options, Booth maintained his aim on Kwon even as he felt the cold steel of the barrel so close that he knew his death would be instantaneous if the bullet were launched.
Seeing the concern on Brennan's face, Booth leapt into action, "No worries, Bones," he said in a clear voice as he looked at her and tried to signal her with the slightest flick of his eyes that he had been lying, "I already called for backup. There will be local cops and FBI agents swarming the place in about two minutes."
Booth thought he saw a flicker of understanding on Bones' face. He hoped she understood that he was telling her they were completely on their own.
"Drop your weapon, Pig!" Kwon barked from where he stood.
"Not happening," Booth replied, itching to pull the trigger and end the man who was placing his loved ones in harm's way. Had he felt confident in his ability to get a shot off quickly enough, he'd have taken it.
"You're so hell-bent on finding out what happened to that cop and her husband. What killed them, huh? One bullet? One bullet built to tear through flesh and bone until it hits brick or steel? One bullet like the one pointed at your girl and your kid?" Kwon growled.
Booth's gut twisted on him again. That near confession reminded him how easily that the angry man he had in his sights could seriously harm both of the people he loved most. Shifting into defensive mode and hoping that Bones would again follow his thought processes, Booth spoke again.
"She's not my girl," he said clearly, feeling like that statement was a lie even though technically it was the cold, hard truth. After glancing at Bones as if to apologize for the lie only he and she knew he was telling, he continued talking and staring intently at Kwon, "Bones… she's just my partner… my annoying partner who's always telling me how smart she is… and how stupid I am. And she's dating my boss... Earlier this week they were making out in the office. She rubs it in my face that she's dating the jerk... Do you know how hard it is being a man when a woman can have me fired for anything she doesn't like?"
"You expect me to believe that you don't have a thing for her? I watched you together in that interview room, man. I saw the way you looked at her tonight when you dropped her off for your date. You want her if you haven't tapped that yet. It's obvious. Hell, even your kid could see that."
For the first time in years, Booth found the silver lining in the fact that he hadn't convinced Bones to date him, "Well, I mean, look at her, she's gorgeous, right? And she dresses in ways that show it off. So I'm a guy... I can't help looking. But I can't touch. We're just friends. If I tried anything with her, she'd kick my ass and then my boss would kill me."
"Well, you care about her... even if she's just your partner. Killing her will cost you your partner. As long as you suffer, that's all I care about."
Booth pulled out his old bluffing techniques from his gambling days and hoped that they didn't seem as dusty as they felt being used after so long, "Hey, pal. You have no idea how hard I've tried to get reassigned—to avoid working with her. But Hacker throws his weight around and keeps me her partner—just to tick me off."
"Well, your boss won't be too happy with you for letting his girlfriend bleed out in front of you," Kwon hissed, sensing that Booth cared more than he was appearing to about his partner.
Booth temporarily forgot his plans to talk Kwon into getting distracted when he heard his son's small voice. "Daddy, Bones is bleeding. Her leg... it doesn't look so good."
Brennan intervened to reassure the child, "I'm fine, Parker. Stay absolutely still—just the way that I told you. Hide behind me—stay completely behind me." Booth's heart fell to his gut. Bones had already been shot protecting his kid. Damn, that woman never ceased to amaze him.
"Parker?" Bones rasped, grasping at air where the boy's hand had once clasped hers tightly.
"It's okay, Bones," Parker said bravely, shrugging out of his button down and bending slightly so that he could wrap it around his father's partner's leg. Trained boy scout that he was, he pulled the half-knot tightly and asked Brennan if she thought it was tight enough.
"Just a little more pressure," Brennan said, wincing slightly as the boy pulled as hard as he could before knotting the shirt in place above her wound.
Just when she'd worried that he'd put himself in danger unnecessarily, Brennan felt Parker's small hand slip bravely back into hers and squeeze it for reassurance.
"Thanks, Parker," she whispered, moved by his already burgeoning alpha-male protective streak. As she swallowed hard to silence her emotions, she gazed up at her partner and saw his determined yet proud expression. She watched him try to feign indifference and wondered how anyone could ever accept Booth's being indifferent about anything. It just wasn't his nature. God, he has no idea how much I love him...
Booth spoke intently while trying to pretend he was just passing along information, "Look, I'm not the one who'll need to worry if you hurt Bones... I'm just a grunt agent. I can be replaced... Her boyfriend is the damn Deputy Director of the FBI. You're smart enough to run a gang and to have pulled one over on me and my partner... I can't believe you're stupid enough to want the full wrath of the FBI hunting you down. Hacker will have them all ready to shoot to kill and ask questions later. You won't last a day."
"Stupid government can't do stuff like that... You're just bluffing..."
"You look me in the eye, Kwon and then tell me I'm bluffing...," Booth threatened in a way that had the man gazing at him intently, "I'm not half as powerful as her boyfriend. But if you hurt my son or my partner, and I will kill you so fast you won't even have time to be afraid. I won't think twice about spending the rest of my life in jail. I won't care what happens to me. You hurt either of them—just know that you're dead already. Hacker might be a bad ass executive, but I am a trained sniper who will be bent on vengeance. I will hunt you down until you're dead... That is a promise from me to you."
"He's right," Brennan chimed in, her voice a bit shaky from hearing Booth's rage. "My boyfriend... Andrew... He is the Deputy Director of the FBI. I'm sure that he won't ignore the fact that you release us. He'll pull strings and have the charges reduced... clear your brother's name... Let me call him," she said, releasing Parker's hand to reach for her purse which she'd shoved into the boy's hands as she'd pulled him away from his captor.
"Nobody's calling anybody. Your partner has been scaring my brother... He's been pushing around a sweet, paralyzed kid who never hurt anybody, and I have to make him pay for that. Nobody's calling anybody. The pig hurt my family, and now I'm going to hurt his..."
With those words, Kwon tightened his hold on the trigger to a point that made Booth's knees feel rubbery. Booth could tell that his earlier threat and the mere mention of Kwon's brother had unhinged him a dangerous bit more.
"Hey... easy... Take it easy... There's another way...," Booth said convincingly, drawing the man's full attention. Booth couldn't risk things getting any more dangerous for Bones and Parker. He had to do something drastic to calm Kwon down. "Here... take it... take my weapon... Just let the kid and Bones go. I'm the one who scared your brother. I'm the one who plastered his face all over the news. I'm the one you want. Take me... let them go..."
"Booth!" Brennan snapped in horror, "Don't give up your weapon! We're evenly matched. You and I are both excellent shots. I've already taken one of them down. We'll get out of this. You can't do this... You can't give them the advantage. Don't be selflessly stupid... Parker's right here, Booth. He needs you to keep your weapon."
"Not now, Bones. This is between Kwon and me... Man to man...," turning to Kwon he shrugged as much as the situation would allow, "See what I mean? She's way too fricking bossy..."
"So you want to give up your gun and you want me to let the kid and the girl go," Kwon stated, suspicion dripping from his tone.
"That's it. A good faith gesture. I'm yours, man. Do with me what you will. Just let them go..."
"Booth! At least wait until we're safely out of range or something. Don't...," Brennan began, but her partner was more stubborn and determined than even she was. Without waiting for the man to respond, Booth lowered his weapon and squatting down, taking the man holding the weapon to his head down with him. "See... Man to man... I'm doing my part," he said, placing the gun on the ground and standing back up slowly before kicking the weapon out of his own reach.
"Booth!" Brennan hissed, looking every bit as if she might shoot him herself for doing something so risky and reckless.
As he stood there unarmed and trying to reassure Bones wordlessly, Booth was simultaneously trying to identify potential ways to disarm their captors so that Parker and Bones could escape. He had to remind himself that he had to bury his emotions deep so that he could think clearly and act decisively. There weren't many options and none of them promised a safe outcome for him, but he was focused purely on Parker and Bones and assuring their safety.
As he was assessing the newly adjusted situation carefully, Booth felt his gut clench as he watched a strange expression cross Bones' face. Holy crap... She's got an idea. She's made a decision... And I'm not gonna like it... He recognized that stubborn look of determination on her face. He'd fallen in love with it years ago. But this was too big, too important. He couldn't let Bones do something crazy. Parker was there. He had no gun. Bones couldn't do anything selfless or reckless—not now. He had to stop her and fast.
Knowing that changing her mind would be terribly difficult if not impossible, Booth started talking. If nothing else, he hoped the conversation would distract her and their captors long enough for him to take action on his own. His gut was screaming at him that time was short and that Bones was desperate now that he'd unarmed himself to protect her. He also knew that whatever idea she'd had would terrify him. "Hey, Bones," he began, frustrated when she didn't glance at him. "Bones... look at me..." She glanced up, but he could tell by he set of her jaw and her posture that she was not going to listen. He was wasting his time trying to talk to her. Seeing her look like that, he knew that her mind was already set on a course of action.
"Bones, I'm sure Kwon here will be smart about this... He'll let you and Parker go. He doesn't want Hacker hunting him down and killing him and leaving his brother alone. Right, Kwon? You've got me. You took my weapon. I'm at your mercy. You can hurt me or use me as a way to negotiate your brother's release. Let Bones go back to her boyfriend and let the kid go. No good can come from hurting either of them."
Brennan couldn't believe the ease with which Booth told lies and handed himself over to these cretins. She started to say something, but one look from Booth made her pause.
"Nobody's leaving," Kwon snapped, intent upon doing what he'd come to do.
"Are you stupid?" Booth asked, changing tactics entirely. "You have to let them leave if you want to live. Let them go."
"No."
"Bones, tell him about Hacker again. Tell him how much... how much he loves you. Tell him how bad it would be."
"Mr. Kwon, you should let all of us go. I can prove your brother is innocent. I'm probably the only one who can prove it. I can get him released, and I'll drop the charges against him."
"You can?"
"I can, and I will. I am a truthful person. I will drop the charges and help get him released. But you have to let us go. You can run, hide, or even flee the country. While you escape, I'll exonerate your brother."
"He... he won' t let me escape," Kwon said, appearing to mull the scenario over and deciding that Booth was the biggest obstacle to any getaway.
"Yes, he will. He will because I'll ask Hacker to tell him to. Just let me call him..."
"No. No calls. Nobody leaves. Not til I decide."
Brennan's shoulders slumped. She'd been extremely optimistic that her latest line of illogical reasoning would have convinced the man. Now she realized that he wasn't going to allow any of them to leave.
"Booth, he's not going to let any of us go. He's going to kill us all and be executed for it."
"No, Bones, Mr. Kwon will be reasonable. His brother said he was a reasonable man... that he was smart," Booth tried to do damage control. He didn't like the expression on Kwon's face that seemed to accept that Bones had just summed the situation up accurately. As he watched the man snap his decision into place, he'd never been more afraid as he'd been in that moment. He was losing them. He literally felt it.
As she spoke to him, he shifted his gaze to her, his heart aching as he saw his partner arrive at the same kind of immutable decision. After staring off at the wall of the alley in a strange way, she looked up at him, a different combination of emotions on display in her expression, "Booth, listen to me." She was speaking to him in that clear, convincing teaching voice—the one that relayed absolute truth to others and tried to tell it to them so convincingly that they couldn't misunderstand. "Remember our early case—the Cleo Eller case?"
"Yeah."
"Remember at the fountain... I tried to blackmail you. Remember what you said when I threatened to issue a press release?"
"Yeah. Bones, I don't see..."
"Remember that... that last word you said to me. If things go wrong, remember that..."
I'll be a dead duck... Duck... she's telling me to duck..., he realized, his heart began beating even more emphatically in his chest, "No. Bones. Listen to me. We'll be fine. I don't want you telling me to remember things. We'll both remember the good old days... after this is over... together." He tried to will her to wait and let him do something. Anything would be better than Bones trying to take on two armed men with no help from him.
"No. this is important. Remember it. You'll know when it's the right time."
God love her. Bones was trying so hard to be brave and strong and to help him even when he was the trained cop who should have gotten them all to safety by now. Where the hell were the cops? Hadn't someone running away from the restaurant called 911? What the hell was he going to do to stop her from doing something crazy?
"Bones, listen..."
"No, Booth. There's not time. There's something else..."
The look on her face sent his blood pressure skyward. She was about to do something—something he couldn't stop. Something dangerous. It was written all over her face. He was surprised that Kwon couldn't see it.
"Bones," he pled with her. He needed her to know how much he needed her to stay safe... and not just because she was protecting his son.
"Booth. Listen to me. There's just one other thing. A very important thing. The most important thing of all."
Hell, this was Bones telling him goodbye. No, dammit. He was not going to stand there and let her say goodbye to him. Not now. Not ever. But maybe if he agreed with her and kept her talking, he'd figure out a way to distract Kwon and his thug. That, or he might be able to reason with her. Surely logic would work with her—even as desperate as things appeared to be.
"Okay. Okay, Bones."
But he had been completely unprepared for what she'd said next. "That night at the train station..."
What the hell? He needed to be ready to act, clear headed. So did she... They could not talk about that night—not now. What the hell?
"Booth, I lied to you." Bones doesn't lie. Crap, this was not a conversation he wanted to have...
"Bones, can't we talk about this later?"
"NO!" she snapped, her patience finally at its limit.
Worried about her and hoping to deflect the attention from her, Booth looked over to Kwon, "See? See what I have to put up with?" he asked. He could see that Bones was aching inside. Any untruth was intolerable to her: the fact that she'd told one to him was crushing her from the inside out.
The look Bones gave him pierced him more completely than any bullet could have. "Booth. I just wanted you to know..." She paused, waiting for the right words to come. Temperance was never at a loss for words. Her silence terrified him.
She began again, determined to tell him. "What's important... what I need to tell you... what you need to know..."
"Jeez, lady... Just tell him already," the man holding Booth hostage finally growled.
She couldn't do it. This was an impossible situation. She'd never loved anyone the way she loved him. She never would again. She knew that deep in her soul. But to say those words—those words she'd never uttered to anyone other than her family. To say those words now—when he might die, when she might die, in front of gang members. She couldn't do it. What she needed to tell her partner was too sacred, too personal.
But suddenly, she found better words—words that would convey her meaning even more clearly without telling Kwon and his goon exactly how they felt about one another.
'Til my body is dust
'til my soul is no more
I will love you, love you
The alley had fallen silent. It was quiet enough that each person could hear the person nearest breathing in and out. Bones was gripping Parker's hand as tightly as she could to be supportive of him. She was looking at her partner where he stood brave and unarmed and terribly worried about her wellbeing. When her words slipped out, everyone had been waiting and listening intently, thinking that this had to be an earth-shattering announcement. Brennan knew that there would be no time afterward. The gang members had been temporarily lulled into listening to her discussion with her partner. Once they were confused by her words, they'd run out of patience and take action. She finally confessed two words that rocketed through Booth instantly.
"I knew."
Nearly forgetting where they were and the danger they were all in, his attention focused solely on her. "What?"
"I knew, too." Booth felt the impact of her confession as his heart hit the floor, stopped beating entirely, and then boomed around wildly in his already constricted chest. Bones was still talking. He strained to listen as his heart beat crazily in his ears. She knew? Oh, God...
'Til the sun starts to cry
and the moon turns to rust
I will love you, love you
"I've known as long as you—maybe even longer. I just... I couldn't understand... I couldn't believe... I couldn't find enough evidence. But I knew. I just realized these last few weeks that I've been deceiving myself... and you. I wanted to tell you... but I was afraid. But I need for you to know now. Booth, I knew. I need to know that you understand what I'm telling you."
"Bones..."
"Tell me. Booth, tell me you know... tell me you understand what I'm saying."
"Bones, you can't..."
"Tell me!"
"Okay... I do. I understand. I... I'm glad you told me. God, I... Thank you, Temperance."
And I need to know - will you stay for all
time... forever and a day
"I'm sorry it took me so long."
Staring at her in a way that almost made her feel that a last-minute confession still held meaning, he spoke softly—as if only the two of them were standing there. He looked stronger somehow knowing that Bones cared for him the way he'd hoped, "I'm not sorry, Bones. I have no regrets."
Blinking back tears that could cost her too dearly, she stared at him for a long moment. Then she realized that their time was running short.
"Booth?"
"Yeah, Bones?" his voice still soft and a bit dreamlike given the news she'd just give him.
"The fountain. Booth, do it now!"
What? Oh, God. Please no...
With time again moving in slow motion and every movement visible to him, Booth watched in horror as Bones shot the gang leader and turned to shoot the man holding him. Inhaling as sharply as circumstances would allow, Booth ducked, allowing her to shoot his captor and drop him where he stood.
Kwon had been hit in the shoulder by Brennan's first shot. Holding his hand over the wound, he stood back up and started firing. Dying on the inside, Booth dove to retrieve his weapon, watching as Bones shielded Parker with her body and ran quickly so that she could shove him through the door of the restaurant. Booth hadn't seen the silent conversation Brennan had been having with Sid. The man had stood there ready to help, and she'd convinced him wordlessly to take Parker and shield him from danger-and from seeing what might happen in the alleyway.
Booth watched his partner disappear into the building and relaxed the smallest bit. If he could get to his weapon in time, he could take Kwon out and end this here. But as he dove for his weapon, he saw his partner take the ridiculous risk of running back out into the alley with her weapon ready. Dammit, Bones, don't come back out here, his mind screamed as he lurched forward to grasp his gun.
Booth picked up his weapon and rolled over on the ground, taking aim at Kwon and wounding him but not killing him. Finally able to breathe realizing they were close to obtaining control over the situation, he glanced to Bones, but his heart stopped as he watched her suddenly stop moving and then fall backwards to the ground, an enormous red splotch exploding onto her shirt where she'd been shot in the chest by Kwon. Her body landed with a thud and she did not move. She lie there lifeless.
Then I'll give my heart 'til the end of all
time...forever and a day
"Noooooo!" Booth screamed, hurling his body toward her, heedless of Kwon's aiming his weapon at him again. Booth didn't even feel the bullets entering his body and cutting through it, hitting organ and muscles. He had to get to Bones, shelter her, and make sure that Kwon couldn't hurt her any more. Despite his best effort, his wounded body fell a few feet short of his still lifeless partner. The reality of his injuries starting to dawn on him, Booth rolled from his prone position onto his side and tried to aim his gun awkwardly. Firing his gun one last time to protect his partner from further harm, he sent one final bullet through Kwon's forehead.
After he fired, Booth's empty gun fell to the ground with a clatter. His arm became limp and the edges of his field of vision became dark and blurry. Fighting the pain and the haze, he turned to look at his partner. She still wasn't moving. He tried to move, but his body was too badly wounded and was losing blood too quickly. The strength was draining out of him as rapidly as his heart was breaking realizing that he'd failed to keep her safe. Unable to do anything more, he reached for her hand and clasped it tightly.
He held onto it until he was able to do so no longer.
'Til the storms fill my eyes
and we touch the last time
I will love you, love you
I will love you, love you...
Lyrics: I Will Love You by Fisher
