A/N: They have everything they need to turn the tables. Time to fight back. -Kalli

The first text came in at 4:10. Booth was sleeping lightly if he was sleeping at all, still waiting to hear from Bones about the meeting she wanted him to go to that morning. He hoped Bones was getting some sleep. She'd clearly needed it. But the feeling that something was wrong didn't leave him all night.

Cullen: Get to the office now

Booth got up and got moving, hoping that whatever it was could be wrapped up in time for him to make his meeting with Bones, although the urgency of the text didn't make it seem likely. He'd cross that bridge when he got to it. He started a cup of coffee that he was sure he'd need that day, and deciding on a quick shower, he turned the water on. The second text came in at 4:20.

Vanik: We secured Brennan. It all went to shit. Get to Hoover.

Booth: WTF?

Ranger shorthand. Why did Bones need to be secured? He tried her phone quickly and got no answer. Giving up he headed to his closet. He wasn't sure he'd ever gotten dressed and to the office faster, his coffee forgotten on the counter as he headed out the door.

Booth wasn't sure what he was looking for, and almost walked past the conference room deciding to start in his own office. The bullpen was at off hours lighting, and there was no one around. It was hearing Cullen bark his name from inside the conference room that spun him and gave him some much needed direction.

"It was one of our own, Sam," the other man said with frustration.

Cullen nodded at the guest while Booth entered, a small cadre of people starting to make their way into the room.

"Director Eisen, this is…." Cullen started, the introduction unnecessary.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth," said the Director of the FBI, extending a hand that Booth shook out of instinct, briefly realizing how bizarre his current situation was.

"Yes, sir, Director Eisen," was all Booth could get out before his quizzical look went from Cullen to the Director and back.

"It's going to be a hard day here, son," Cullen said.

"I know Dr. Brennan – known her for a long time. Longer than you," he said gesturing to Booth with his chin. "Though obviously differently," he tacked on with an understanding smile.

The FBI director standing in the conference room talking about his partner had skipped right over unnerving and gone to panic inducing. It was only Ranger training that got him to do his best civilian version of 'eyes front,' listening until he could figure out what the hell was going on.

"She has a bucket full of IOUs. Did you know that?" Eisen asked. As Booth shook his head no the Director continued. "Coins. In a town where coins are their own currency, she has more than anyone I know. Secretaries of State, Defense, Attorney Generals, Directors of CIA, at least three Presidents … she does a little something for everyone. And she doesn't take payment, because that would somehow be crass and she doesn't take the publicity, because most of it is classified above everyone in this room," he explained, gesturing around the conference space. "And she doesn't take pleasure in it, because that would impinge on the reverence she gives the remains. Even the scum of the earth – those bones get treated with honor on her table. So instead of glory and riches, she collects IOUs, and sometimes in secret back rooms, the people whose markers she has, and she has more than a few of mine, we sit around and wonder when she's going to call one in, who will be first, and what it'll cost us."

Booth saw Vanik in the hallway, waiting to enter the room. The rest of the team was filing in.

"A decade's worth of IOU's, Agent Booth, and she called her first one in this morning. She needed something from the FBI and she didn't even call in one of mine. The Attorney General - that's who she called at 3:50 AM. On the secret number no one has. She didn't trust us enough to handle this ourselves, and we are going to make that right before the sun sets today."

Cullen nodded with purpose and Booth nodded in confusion.

"Sir, what's happened?" Booth asked, his voice betraying his worry.

"Sam will get you caught up on that now, but first, ask me what she wanted," Eisen told Booth.

"What did she want?"

"To take down McGowan in a way that didn't blow back on you." He let that sink in, and then looked to Cullen. "Updates on the hour, directly from you, until this is done. I'm going to talk to the DC Chief of Police next. I have to call the Attorney General in," he looked at his watch, "two and half hours, and I need something to tell him."

He left the room and as soon as he cleared the doorway, Vanik came in holding a box with envelopes and folders and papers.

"Ms. Julian?" he asked.

"And who are you?" she asked with all the attitude Booth loved about her.

"This is from Dr. Brennan. She said to tell you it's the Alvarez file." He put the box on the table in front of her.

"Oh, lord," she said in instant concern. "And where is Dr. Brennan?" she questioned.

"Safe," was all Vanik said over his shoulder as he turned and left the room while giving one heavy look to Booth, who followed him to the hallway.

"Where is Bones? What the hell happened?"

"Three things. One, she's worried about your son and your ex. There isn't any evidence to back that up, but McGowan unraveled pretty good last night and she isn't thinking straight. Dr. Brennan didn't want you somewhere with her when you might need to be with Parker. I put two assets on Ms. Stinson's house. No sign of trouble. You can do with that information what you want. Dr. Brennan wouldn't let us put her somewhere safe unless she knew your son was also being protected, and her safety was my only priority."

"Why would Danny want to hurt Parker?"

"Because all of this has been about hurting you from the beginning." That hung in the air for a moment, and when Vanik thought Booth had digested, he continued. "Number two. My team took Dr. Brennan dark at 4:05 this morning. No communication. You won't get in touch with her until we take her bright when we have the all clear."

"Clear of what? And who is going to make that call?" Booth asked, frustrated at every turn that was delivering incomplete information and keeping him from seeing her with his own eyes.

Vanik took a burner cell out of his pocket and handed it to Booth. "She only trusts you. When you're confident that McGowan and the DC cops are not a threat to either of you, hit speed dial one and let me know. I will tell her, and she will decide what happens next."

He took the phone in his hand, gripping it like a lifeline to her with the knowledge that she only trusted him to give the all clear giving the object extra weight. But then Vanik's words replayed in his head.

"Why does she need to be protected from DC cops?"

"Read her statement. And three. Don't watch the video."

"What video?" Booth's frustration at his complete lack of information came through, the question sounded more like a demand.

"There's a video in the evidence of what went down last night. Don't watch it."

"What went down tonight?"

Vanik took a beat, finally deciding to just put all the info on the table.

"It was an old school professional beating. Think of what you know he did to his subjects in Mosul or Kabul when they had something he needed. Face as pretty as a picture but the rest of them in unbelievable pain. He really expected her to get up this morning like nothing had happened and keep going. He was more delusional than we thought."

"And why shouldn't I watch it?"

"Because if you watch it, you'll be mad at her for putting herself in danger, and you'll kill him, and then everything she did to keep you safe will have been for nothing."

Vanik let that sink in. Then he leaned in towards Booth. "I have her. You go get him."

Booth nodded, and Vanik left. Returning to the conference room he barked out an order to the growing crowd.

"Somebody talk, short version."

It was Sweets that offered the first insight as he paged through a document in front of him.

"Last night Agent Daniel McGowan attacked Dr. Brennan in her office at the Jeffersonian," in a voice that was a cross between questioning and disbelief.

"Ok, longer version than that. Is Bones ok? What happened?"

"It appears that she was injured … received medical attention … and was secured by private security?"

It should have been a statement, but the disbelief was still there. Sweets continued.

"McGowan was exhibiting violent and controlling behaviors. Last night he gave her one last chance to comply, threatening both her and you."

"Is she ok?" he pleaded, desperation clear in his voice with each word punctuated.

"There isn't a medical report from tonight's altercation. There is a note that it isn't ready yet, but the video of the event is in here," one of the agents who had arrived offered, gesturing towards the box.

"I've heard enough of the story to know that we'll be issuing an arrest warrant for Special Agent Daniel McGowan at some point this morning," Cullen told the team to set expectations.

Booth reached into the box in front of Caroline and took everything out of it. Laying it all out on the conference room table he got down to business.

"Alright, people, let's get through this and figure out what the hell happened," Booth said, taking control.

As Sweets, Julian, the three agents that were on call, Booth and Cullen began diving through the documentation, Cullen pulled Booth aside.

"You are too close to this one. I'm giving it to Vinetti."

"What? No. I …," Booth protested.

"You may need to help her or Parker – we don't know what's going on, and we can't take a chance that you being a part of McGowan's motivation or the victim being your partner might jeopardize the case."

Booth stopped himself from losing it completely, but only by a hair.

"I need to help get him."

"I'm sure I couldn't stop you."

It only took thirty minutes for the gathered group to go through the statement. They were trained to read a rap sheet in the blink of an eye, but this victim statement was so complete – annotated and cross-referenced to other pieces of evidence – it was a deeper read. Her statement was written in chronological order, but then included notes to demonstrate how specific evidence was tied to other evidence that was unknown when she experienced a particular event.

In the end, Booth sat with his elbows on the table and his head in his hand, his eyes replaying the night at Bullfeathers. Could he have changed all of this by just taking her home that night?

He'd failed her.

And she'd done everything to protect him.

And when he saw again, he was going to kill her he was so mad. And maybe never let her go. And definitely never let her out of his sight again.

It was Sweets moving toward the computer that broke him out of his chain of thought. He brought a thumb drive over to the computer and turned on the display.

"Should we watch the video they sent from a security camera at the Jeffersonian last night?"

"No way to know if her statement will hold up to scrutiny or if it was as bad as she says unless we do," Agent Barnes threw out to the group.

"You think she made this up?" Booth yelled at the agent he barely knew.

"I think he's just saying we need to review the evidence," Sweets said in an effort to diffuse.

Booth paced. He heard Vanik's warning playing over and over in his head. Don't watch the video. But her statement had been clean. Factual. Clinical. Absent of emotion. Like it was a report about someone else. Like it wasn't her.

But it was Bones, and even after reading her description he felt compelled, as if watching it would somehow connect them. The not knowing was killing him, and he shouted down the better angels of his nature.

Don't watch the video.

Yeah. Right.

"Play it," Booth said.

It didn't take long. As it played on the big screen Booth had gotten closer and closer. His body moved to protect her involuntarily, despite knowing it was already over.

When McGowan threatened to kill her Booth didn't even care that he was meant to take the fall for it. He just stood transfixed by the gun at her chest. When McGowan said he wouldn't even drug her next time the implication left Booth needing a wall to steady himself so that he stayed upright. When McGowan made her kiss him with a gun to her chin Booth willed himself to not cry. And when McGowan was gone and she was picking herself up off the floor, he almost touched the screen to help her.

It was Caroline Julian who spoke first. She was a hard woman, but Booth could see she was shaken.

"I'll have an arrest warrant issued for McGowan within the hour."