(The Hero in the Hold)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Petro Oliynyk had been curious about Heather Taffet ever since he'd found out that she had been spotted in the Chevy Chase Parking garage the day Alina had been kidnapped. Booth had promised to interview her and he had kept his promise. Eager to be of help, Petro had decided that he would do some investigating on his own without Booth's knowledge. Since Taffet's interview in the Hoover, Petro had done a little digging into Heather Taffet's background and he now believed that she was either the Gravedigger or was helping the Gravedigger. Taffet had met with Alina Bondar while working with the Embassy on an extradition case and Alina's husband Leonid seemed to think that Taffet had asked a lot of personal questions. So many that they had made him uncomfortable. The fact that Alina was kidnapped two weeks after the extradition case had been closed seemed a little too suspicious to Petro. And if you added the fact that Heather Taffet had been in the Chevy Chase Parking garage at the same time that Alina had been kidnapped, well Petro was certain that he was on the right track. He was an experienced Detective and a talented Security Chief. His gut told him that Heather Taffet was involved in the Gravedigger case and she had helped kidnap Alina. He would find out the truth.

Originally, Petro had two of his security personnel monitor Taffet. While Denys Kryvonis and Oleksander Skliar had kept track of Heather Taffet they had witnessed a clandestine meeting with someone that turned out to be a Baltimore Police Detective identified as William Elmore. The suspected kidnapper had met twice with Elmore right after Agent Seeley Booth had interviewed her at the Hoover. Taffet had met with the Baltimore Detective both times out of town in a small café in Richmond and that led the Ukrainian Security chief to suspect that Elmore was assisting Taffet in some way. Since then both Taffet and Elmore seemed to be living very quiet lives. Petro didn't know if that meant the two suspects thought they were being watched or if they were just laying low since the FBI had interviewed Taffet.

Petro had hoped that eventually Elmore and Taffet would try to kidnap someone and he might use that as leverage to find Alina Bondar's body. Everyone at the Ukrainian Embassy was still upset over the kidnapping of Alina and as far as Petro could tell, everyone wanted revenge. Leonid Bondar still mourned the loss of his wife and he refused to leave the States until his wife's body was found. The Security Chief was using his best resources to accomplish that. He would not fail to help bring Alina's killers to justice. Whether that was American justice or Ukrainian justice remained to be seen.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Denys was bored. He and Oleksander had been monitoring William Elmore for several weeks now and as far as Denys was concerned the Baltimore Detective was a very boring man. He went to work and afterward he went to the movies or to a few ball games and the rest of the time he stayed home watching television or playing on his computer.

On a rather quiet evening, Denys noticed the homicide Detective leave his apartment after dark and he hoped that something was about to happen. As he followed Elmore from his house, Denys made a call to his boss. "Sir, William Elmore is on the move. This is the first time he has left his home after settling in for the evening. He seems to be heading towards Virginia."

You must keep me informed, Denys. Don't lose him. He may be going shopping or he may be up to something else. I need you to make sure you watch him carefully and I will alert Oleksander as soon as I end this call. I will check in with Fedir and see if Taffet is also on the road. Oleksander and I will stand by in case you need help of some kind. Do not confront Detective Elmore unless you have to. You must assume that he is dangerous.

"I understand. I will be careful and I will keep you informed." Denys was hopeful. If Elmore was the Gravedigger then maybe he had chosen his next victim. He fervently hoped that if that was the case then he, Petro and Oleskander would be able to save whoever his intended victim was and present Agent Booth with the Gravedigger. He prayed that would lead to the recovery of Alinda's body and Leonid could go home.

Denys wasn't familiar with the roads that Elmore was taking and worried that he would lose him. He finally called his supervisor and asked him to get on the road and catch up with him as soon as possible. The detective still seemed to be heading to Virginia and he knew that Petro could meet him on the road and not waste time.

I am on the way Denys. Fedir says that Taffet left her house but his car was cut off by a truck and he lost her.

Moving into a fairly nice neighborhood, Denys witnessed Elmore park his car on the street in front of a house and turn the engine off. Quickly stopping his own car, he parked it several houses down and sat in his car waiting to see what would happen next. Soon, another car passed his car, continued down the street and parked in front of Elmore's car. Not really surprised, Denys witnessed Heather Taffet leave her car and walk over to Elmore's car. They chatted for a few seconds and after Heather motioned Elmore to leave his car, they were walking across the semi-lit road, up the driveway of a modest house and over to the door. Not sure what he should do, he called Petro and gave him the address where his car was parked. Anxiously, he watched Taffet knock on the door, Agent Booth open the door and then collapse on the porch. Taffet had tasered the man and both she and Elmore picked him up, carried him down the sidewalk over to Elmore's car and loaded Booth in the trunk. Frightened for the agent, Denys called Petro and told him what was happening.

We are almost where you are. If they move follow them. Don't lose sight of them. Oleksander and I will be there in ten minutes.

"They're driving away. Do you wish me to stop them?"

"No, Denys not by yourself. We're almost there. We will follow them to where they are going and once they stop, there will be three of us to confront them. Don't lose them Denys. You must not lose them."

"I won't Petro. Just hurry." Denys placed his phone down on the seat next to him and kept an eye on the cars ahead of him. Worried that he would lose the vehicles in the traffic he almost cried out in relief when Petro's car drove up behind him. There were now two cars tailing Elmore and Denys was feeling more confident. Booth's life was on the line and they had to save him. While they traveled towards some unknown destination Oleksander's car caught up with Petro's car and now they had three cars tailing Elmore and Taffet. Denys was now confident that Booth would not die that night.

Oooooooooooooooo

They parked near a boat dock and Petro wondered if Taffet and Elmore planned to dump Booth into the ocean. Once Elmore's car was parked, Denys, Petro and Oleksander parked their cars a block away, left their cars and waited for Petro to decide their next move.

Petro watched Elmore pop the trunk of his car and the Security Chief knew that they had to move now while Taffet and Elmore were distracted. Racing down the street, Petro and his men pulled their guns from their holsters and as they arrived, Taffet glanced back, saw the men rushing towards them and pulled a gun from her jacket pocket. She turned to aim her weapon at Booth and Petro knew he had seconds to respond. Firing at the attorney, Petro witnessed the attorney's blood spray from the back of her head while she fell against the car then to the ground. In the meantime, Elmore dropped Booth back in the trunk of the car and tried to pull his gun. Before he could clear his gun from its holster, Petro was standing next to him with a gun to the detective's head.

"Where is Alina Bondar buried?" Petro noticed that no one had appeared to investigate the shot fired and he hoped it stayed that way.

Terrified, Detective Elmore protested. "I don't know who Alina is. I was just doing what Taffet told me to do. She's the Gravedigger. I . . ."

Pressing the gun harder against the Detective's head, Petro interrupted the man. "Where is Alina Bondar buried? You have three seconds to tell me . . . one . . . two . . . th . . ."

"Wait, wait. Taffet had me bury Alina at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park. I planted her . . . I buried her near the falls. I can draw a map. Don't kill me." He was afraid that he was about to die and he didn't want to die.

"I will not kill you Detective Elmore." Petro pulled the Detective away from the car and motioned for his men to check on Booth. "Denys call an ambulance and I suppose we must call 911 and report what has happened."

Making sure that Booth was still breathing, Denys sighed with relief. "He is breathing normally. I think he will be okay and yes we should call the police. I fear they will be angry with us."

Amused, Petro chuckled. "I don't give a shit, do you Denys? We know where Alina is buried. Booth is saved, The Gravedigger is dead and we have diplomatic immunity. The police and the FBI can be mad with us all they want. We did a good thing here and we will be heroes at home."

After they removed Booth from the trunk of the car, Oleksander removed his jacket and used it as a pillow for the FBI Agent. "Leonid will get to go home with Alina. That is all that matters Petro and Booth will return to his family as well."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Groggy, Booth opened his eyes and stared at the white tiles in the ceiling above him. "What the hell?"

Grateful that Booth was awake, Brennan leaned over her partner and gripped his upper arm. "You were kidnapped last night Booth. I wasn't aware there was a problem until I searched the house and the garage and I couldn't find you. I searched the neighborhood then called Agent Harris and told him that you were missing. He put out a BOLO for you shortly after I called him. I got a call two hours later telling me that Petro Oliynyk had found you and saved your life. The Gravedigger and her accomplice kidnapped you from our house and Petro and some of his security people saved you from them."

Confused, Booth turned to look around and spied Petro standing near the window in the room. "You just happened to see me kidnapped? That's quite a coincidence." Booth didn't believe in coincidences and he knew that Petro had been up to something.

Not embarrassed in the least, Petro smiled a satisfied smile. "When I saw the picture of Heather Taffet, I knew that her being at the parking garage when Alina was kidnapped was not an accident. I had two of my men watch her and soon she led us to a Baltimore Detective named William Elmore. I had my men start to watch him and I assigned another man to watch Taffet. I had done some research on Taffet and Elmore and that led me to believe that they were involved in Alina Bondar's kidnapping. I didn't have any physical proof but my gut told me that I was not wrong . . . Last night, Detective Elmore left his house and one of my people followed him. The Detective met Taffet across the street from where you live. Denys watched them knock on the door of your house, taser you then carry you to Elmore's car. Denys was by himself and I knew it was too dangerous for him to confront them. He called me to tell me what was going on and he followed them. Me and another of my men caught up while Elmore and Taffet as they drove to some unknown destination. They stopped at a boat dock and we knew we had minutes to save you. When Elmore opened the trunk of his car to pull you out, my men and I charged over. Taffet pulled a gun and was going to shoot you, so I killed her. We captured Detective Elmore. He claims that Taffet was the Gravedigger and that he worked for her. She was blackmailing him to do it. I do not know if I believe him or not, but it doesn't matter. Taffet is dead and the detective will never be free again."

"You should have come to be me with your suspicions, Petro . . . but thanks for saving my life." Booth was sure that Petro and his people might be in trouble for the shooting, but they'd have to see how that played out. "I don't remember being kidnapped. I was in the living room. I heard a knock on the door and answered it . . . I don't remember seeing Taffet or Detective Elmore at the door."

She could hear the concern in Booth's voice. Brennan explained why his memory was faulty. "Being tasered can impair a person's ability to remember and process information. There are a few studies being done on this subject . . . You should be alright Booth. It isn't important that you remember being kidnapped. Petro's man Denys Kryvonis witnessed the kidnapping and recorded Taffet and Detective Elmore carry you to their car and put you in the trunk."

A cold chill ran down Booth's back. "If your man hadn't seen what had happened I'd probably be buried underground now."

"Not underground Booth." Petro stepped closer to the bed. "Detective Elmore has made a full confession. The plan was to lock you in a ship that has been decommissioned. The ship is scheduled to be sunk today and become part of a man-made reef for fish."

"God!" Booth slowly shook his head. "To be blown up . . . thanks for saving me Petro."

"You are welcome, Booth." Petro glanced at his watch. "I have to go. I will check on you tomorrow. I am glad this worked out and I am glad the Gravedigger is dead."

Once Petro was gone, Brennan leaned closer and kissed Booth on the lips. "You promised to never leave me, Booth. You said that we will always be together . . . If you had disappeared . . . I'm glad that Petro decided to watch Taffet and I'm glad that the Gravedigger is dead. She can't hurt anyone else."

Reaching up a hand, Booth placed it behind her head and kissed her more passionately. Almost breathless his lips parted from hers and he smiled at his partner. "I won't ever leave you, Bones. If I'd been buried alive . . . If you never saw me again you had to know that it wasn't what I wanted. I never want to leave you . . . Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Brennan sat down on the bed and held Booth's hand. "You weren't gone long enough to cause me real worry. I didn't know where you were, but I trusted that I would see you again . . . Petro saved you and I will always be grateful to him."

Tired, Booth closed his eyes. "I hope we find out where Alina is buried. That's been his biggest worry. He really wants to give Alina's husband closure."

An hour later, a knock on the door frame drew Booth and Brennan's attention to the man standing in the hallway. Not sure if he was welcome, Jared entered the room and stopped just inside the doorway. "Cam told me what happened . . . I came to see if you're okay."

Surprised to see his brother, Booth gave him a slight smile. "I'm okay. Bones says they just want to keep me here to give me a few tests, but . . . yeah, I'm okay."

Glad to hear that, Jared walked across the room and handed Booth a gift bag. "I'm sorry about the other day. I was hung over and . . . well anyway, I've been thinking about what you said and what I said and . . . and I've joined AA. I'm not Dad, Seeley. I'm not him and neither are you. We made it out of that house alive and we have Pops to thank for that. There isn't any reason for us to go back . . . okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay Jared. We're okay."

Oooooooooooooooooo

They met at the airport.

"Hey, Petro." Booth and Brennan had wanted to be at the airport before Leonid boarded the flight to return home with the body of his wife. "We thought we were going to be late because of traffic."

"No, you are not too late." Petro was glad to see his friend. "Leonid has just boarded his flight. He wanted to thank you personally, but he asked me to give you this when he realized that you were delayed. He came prepared." The Ukrainian handed Booth a letter. "He was so grateful that we were able to find Alina. Of course, he hoped until the end that she was alive, but at least now he can mourn properly for her."

Surprised, Booth took the letter and placed it in his jacket pocket. "I didn't do anything. You rescued me from Taffet, remember?"

"Yes, but he is grateful that you took Alina's disappearance seriously and started an investigation into her disappearance. By keeping me in the loop, I was able to save you and find out where Alina was buried. If you had not taken me seriously then we may have never retrieved Alina's body." The Security Chief had hoped his friendship with Booth would help and it did.

"And I'd probably be dead." Booth still got chills thinking about what would have happened if Petro hadn't come to his rescue. "I'm glad that Leonid can bury his wife in her country. At least he can visit her now."

Petro didn't believe in God, but he knew he didn't know everything and he hoped there was an afterlife. It would be nice to see his parents again. "Yes, well, he has peace now. Alina's killer is dead, Detective Elmore is going to be tried for kidnapping and murder and he will likely get the death penalty. I would say that we will all get the revenge we want."

"I didn't want revenge, but I do like the idea that the Gravedigger can't hurt anyone else." Brennan still had nightmares about being buried underground along with Hodgins by the Gravedigger. She was sure she'd never get rid of those. Also, the thought of Booth disappearing from her life and never knowing what had happened to him just made her feel sick and she tried not to think about it too much. "Are you still going to have to leave the country?" Her partner had told her that the Attorney General of the United States was demanding that Petro be sent home.

"Yes, but that is fine." Petro had known from the beginning that he might have to leave if he got involved in Alina's kidnapping, but he didn't regret anything. "I have been told I will be transferred to the Canadian Embassy. My English is very good and it will come in handy dealing with the Canadians." He also spoke French and German, but he liked living in North America and he felt that he would be fine in Canada. "You will have to come see me sometimes. I will learn about Toronto and perhaps if the Toronto Maple Leafs make it to the Stanley Cup, you will come and see the game. I am sure I can get tickets. I have embassy connections you know."

That sounded like a great idea although Booth wasn't sure the Maple Leafs would make it to the Stanley Cup anytime soon. "It's a deal, Petro. You have my email address. Write me when you're bored."

"I will, Booth." Petro smiled at Brennan. "It was a pleasure meeting you Dr. Brennan. I have started reading your novels and they are very entertaining. I can see who you based Agent Andy on."

"Agent Andy is a fictional character." Annoyed Brennan tried to correct the Ukrainian. "He is not based upon anyone living."

Amused, Petro winked at Booth. "Of course, Dr. Brennan. I will take your word for it since it is your book."

"Of course you will." Brennan glanced at Booth and then back at Petro. "Thank you for saving Booth's life. I know that I have already told you this, but I feel compelled to say it again." She was very grateful for Petro giving Booth back to her.

"It was my pleasure, Dr. Brennan." Petro smiled at the couple and knew he would never forget them. "It really was my pleasure."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

This is the final chapter of this story. Thanks to those of you who have stuck it out through 59 chapters. I appreciated the reviews. It is the only way I can tell if anyone is interested in my stories and it's how I judge whether to keep a story going.