Hodgens sat in silence at his temporary work station at the FBI crime lab. His head lied in his hands and his elbows rested on the table that he stared at with puffy, blood-shot eyes.

"Jack?" said Angela in a soft tone from the doorway that lead to the main halls that were outside the door.

Wiping his face with his hands and clearing his throat, he spun around in his small swivel chair, "Hey, Angie, do you think Doctor B. will be okay?"

"She was sitting quietly on the couch when I left her. She seemed as okay as I think she's going to get." she walked over to him and still sitting, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Looking up at her with love and concern in his large blue eyes, he asked "How about you?"

"I'm trying to think like Bren and compartmentalize, but it's proving to be harder than she makes it seem." she sighed, tangling her fingers in his tight, sandy-colored curls, "I'm really worried about her, Jack. I've never seen her like this. She taking this harder than I thought she would if it ever happened."

Standing, he said "She'll get though this. We all will." looking into her eyeliner-smudged eyes, "Just be there when she needs you and stay there when she tries to push you away."

She nodded with a single tear rolling down her flushed cheek. Putting his hands on her jaw-line, he kissed the tear, then kissed her lips. As they pulled away, there was a light knock on the door frame. They looked up to see Cam standing in the door way, holding a file in her hand.

"Kayla Berrellous was killed by an overdose of Chlorpromazine." she announced, "Anything specific about the dust found on that wire Brennan got from the print shop?"

"It's plaster dust," began Hodgens, "It's a blend that was used exclusively for apartment buildings that were built between 1980 and 1995. There's quite a list of contracting companies who used it, and each one of those companies have lists of structures that they used it on."

"Any way of narrowing that down any further?" asked Cam.

"Already did. I found traces of chalk in the plaster. The chalk is the signature for Regional Builders."

"Is there a way to find out what building?"

"Yes." Angela inputted.

"Get on it. None of us sleep until Brennan is safe and the bastard who killed Booth is back behind bars." Cam said in her boss voice.

"We don't have a problem with that." said Hodgens.

********

Several floors beneath the busy squints, deep in the morgue, the pathologist removed the sheet covering Booth's body and turned on the voice recorder that hung above the table.

"Doctor Dave Navvie. Case number 09017, Special Agent Seeley Booth." said the M.E. "Note that the body is unusually warm."

After some babbling about his exterior, he picked up the scalpel and just barely broke the skin on Booth's left shoulder. Blood instantly came from the gash and the Dr. Navvie dropped the scalpel and ran to a drawer where he pulled out a syringe that was already filled with some kind of liquid. Returning to Booth, he removed the cap from the needle and stabbed it into Booth's chest, injecting the liquid strait into his heart. His eyes shot open as he took in a large gasp. Removing the needle, the doctor called to his assistant to bring in a portable oxygen tank. A young man in white scrubs rushed in with a tank that had a mask attached to it by a long, clear tube. Navvie put the mask over Booth's nose and mouth as he continued to gasp short breaths.

"Agent Booth, I'm Doctor Dave Navvie. I'm a medical examiner for the FBI. You're in the morgue of the Hoover building." he explained.

Booth nodded in acknowledgement as his breathing began to steady, "What happened?" he asked through the oxygen mask.

"You died. At least we thought you were dead. Your heart beat and breathing must have been so faint it couldn't be heard, but was strong enough to keep you alive." answered Navvie, "When I started the Y incision, you began to bleed. I gave you a shot of Ophedrin, a synthetic Adrenaline, to kick-start everything."

Booth realized how he had "died" and quickly sat up, dropping the mask, then noticed his bare "manly area".

"Oh, shit -" he grabbed the sheet off of the vacant table next to his, "Where are my clothes?"

"You were dead, you didn't need them." the doctor laughed a little at Booth's modesty, "Go get Agent Booth's clothes, Robert." Navvie instructed the orderly as he retrieved the first aid kit and bandaged the bleeding cut on Booth's chest.

The incision wasn't deep enough to need stitches, but did need to be bandaged to stop the bleeding. Booth started to get off the table and Navvie tried to hold him down, despite the fact that Booth was twice his size, "Agent Booth, you need to rest. Your heart has been through a lot."

"Look, I need to get out of here. My partner is going to die if I don't get to her." Booth stared at the doctor, worry in his deep eyes, "Now let me go before I break you in half." he said with a calm but ferocious tone.

The orderly came in carrying the slightly charred, soot-covered clothes Booth had worn into the fire.

"Fine." Navvie stopped fighting with Booth and stepped back.

The orderly handed Booth his clothes, "Thanks," he said, then motioned for the door, "now can I get some privacy?"

After they both left, he pulled the phone out of the evidence bag he was given that also contained his wallet and keys to the police cruiser he had borrowed. While getting dressed, he dialed Brennan's cell. When there was no answer, he dialed her home number. Again, no answer. Now getting frustrated, he dressed as fast as he could and was out the door, heading upstairs to the main halls. Moving through the halls at a quickly, he passed a dark interrogation room and heard light sobbing on the other side of the door that had been left ajar. Peaking in, he saw Angela sitting on the floor in the corner of the room with her legs folded up, knees under her chin. 'Is she crying for me?' Booth thought to himself.

He poked his head into the room, followed by the rest of his body, "Angela?"

She looked up to see a body standing in the doorway. She couldn't quite make out his face in the shadows as the hallway light shined around him. He stepped closer to her and she caught sight of his face.

"Oh, my God." she stood in one motion, "Booth?"

"Yeah." he smiled sweetly.

"Oh my God!" her voice and eyes were full of tears as she threw her arms around his neck.

The door swung open to reveal Hodgens, looking down at a file, "Hey, Ange, do you -" the words flew from his mind when he looked up from the file to see Booth and Angela breaking their hug, "Dude..." his eyes and smile grew wide.

"Have either of you spoken to Bones recently?"

"I forced her to go home right after you..." she paused, "...you know..."

"Yeah, I know. How long ago was that?"

"It was about eight. It's eleven fifteen right now." Hodgens looked at his watch.

"Have you heard from her since then?" Booth glanced back and forth to each of them.

"Not me." said Hodgens.

"I just talked to Sweets and he said that she had just been to see him." Angela mentioned.

"Can you give me a ride to Bone's apartment?" he asked Hodgens, afraid of how small a car he would have to squeeze into.

"Of course." he said happily.

Cam turned the corner into the room and stopped in her tracks at the sight of Booth, standing there, alive and well. Her hands went limp and her paperwork fell to the floor, scattering across the gray carpet.

********

Hodgens and Booth pulled into the parking lot of Brennan's apartment building in a copper colored BMW. They stopped in front of the front entrance where Booth saw Agent Takota unconscious on the ground. Quickly getting out of the car he dashed over to Takota. After checking his pulse, he left Hodgens with the fallen Agent and went into the building, headed for the fifth floor. Outside her apartment, Agent Dolby was just coming to and saw Booth approaching from down the hall.

"What happened?" Booth crouched down next to the agent.

"Someone came up behind me and smothered me with a rag that smelt like Chloroform."

"Did you see a face?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Booth." Dolby shook his head.

Booth drew his gun and kicked in Brennan's apartment door, pieces of wood and metal from the locks flying everywhere.

"Bones?" he called, the largeness of the living room and there only being a couch and a few book shelves making his voice echo through the apartment. The silence that followed gave him chills as he passed through the living room, looking into the kitchen on his way by the bar. Nothing was disturbed, but he could feel in his gut that something was wrong. From across the room he saw that her bedroom door was open and feared what he may find within the room. Coming to the doorway, he took in a breath and stepped in to find the sheets on the bed entangled with one another and the things that had once sat upon the dresser, now sprawled across the floor. She had fought back against her abductor, as he knew she would. After checking the attached bathroom, he noticed a syringe on the floor and pulled a tissue out of the box on the nightstand to pick it up with. He slipped his gun back into his shoulder holster on his way out the door.

Hodgens was waiting in the car when Booth came out. When he got in on the passenger side, Hodgens informed him that the two agents had been picked up and were fine.

Booth showed the syringe to Hodgens, "Find out what's in it. I don't care what it's called, I just want to know if it will kill her." then sat it in the empty ashtray that extended out of the dashboard.

With a nod, Jack started the car and they were on their way back to the Hoover building. Booth put his head in his hands to pray and Hodgens laid his hand on his friend's shoulder, "We'll find her. Don't worry."

Head still in his hands, Booth nodded.

********

Once back at the lab, Hodgens went strait to work on the syringe, demanding no interruptions and several agonizing moments later, his computer chimed.

"It won't kill her." said Hodgens, "It's Chlorpromazine that was in the syringe."

"Don't make me ask." Booth said, quickly loosing his patience.

"It's what you get before a surgery to calm your nerves. Unless she was overdosed like Kayla Berrellous, she's still alive." Cam approached Booth and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The last apartment that the Arkays lived in was the one Randall killed Karri in." Angela chimed in with her own findings, "It was built by Regional Builders. It wasn't completely destroyed, but it was abandoned and now scheduled to be demolished next week."

"Where is it?" Booth asked.

"Cherry street and 3rd."

Booth started to walk away but turned around to see Hodgens coming with him.

"Thanks for the ride earlier, but the search and rescue I do alone. No one else is going to be put in danger if I can help it." he said and held out his hand, "Keys."

"Fine," Hodgens tossed the car keys to Booth, who caught them in one hand, "just don't get it blown up or something."

********

Soon Booth was outside of the eight story complex. Getting out of the car, he looked around for signs of Brennan or Arkay, when he noticed dim lights on the fourth floor. He started towards the building, running as fast as he could. When he got inside, he drew his gun and slowly looked around. The interior was a mess. Loose wires and random debris was everywhere. A flight of stares stood freely with no banister and Booth cautiously ventured up to the fourth floor. All doors in the building had been removed, making it easy to see the light on in what once was an apartment at the other end of the hall as the stairs. He silently moved down the hall to that apartment on the left and peaked around the corner, just enough to see Brennen in the back corner of the room with her hands bound under her knees and a gag in her mouth. It seemed she was just coming to. She happened to look to the door and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the man who had died before her eyes. He gave her a comforting smile and went back behind the door frame. Taking a deep breath, he turned the corner with his gun drawn, instantly aiming it at Arkay, who was wiring a bomb in the opposite corner of the room as Brennan.

"Randall Arkay, you're under arrest for a hell of a lot of things that I don't feel like naming off, so stand up and put your hands on your head." he ordered.

Arkay chuckled, not doing as he was told. In one motion, he was standing with a gun pointed at Booth.

"Drop it, Arkay!" shouted brave agent.

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" he flailed his arms in emphasis, "Whether you kill me or just arrest me, I'm dead!"

He stared at Booth for a moment, then turned to look at Brennan, "So I might as well take her with me." in one quick motion he moved his aim to her.

BAM!

Arkay dropped to the floor with a bullet in his temple. Booth put his gun away and walked over to Temperance where he knelt down in front of her and took the gag out of her mouth.

"Are you okay, Bones?" he asked, releasing the knot that bound her hands.

Without a word she threw her arms around his neck.

"Whoa, okay. It's okay." he said and put his arms around her waist, pulling her into him tightly to comfort her, "I'm here, just like I promised."

********

"Thank you for letting me stay here tonight." Brennan said as she sat down on Booth's couch.

"I couldn't let you stay at your place, I broke the door down, it isn't safe." he smiled, entering the room from the kitchen with two beers in his hands.

He sat next to her and gave her one of the bottles.

"I'm sorry, Booth."

"Sorry for what?"

"Sorry that you nearly died because of me." she looked at him with pain in her eyes.

"Bones, it's not your fault." he said softly.

"The only reason Arkay put a bomb in your car was to get to me. You knew there was a bomb in the Jeffersonian, but instead of evacuating, you stayed to get me out." mournfully looking at him, her eyes became wet with a tear in each corner, "With all of the times you could have died saving me, you still come. Why?"

He leaned in towards her, his face now two inches from hers, and stared into her blue eyes with a gentle seriousness, "I will always come for you."

The End

Thank you so much for reading my first Bones fic! I hope you enjoied reading it as much as I enjoied writing it! Reviews make me jump up and down with a big goofy smile like a giddy school-girl!!!