A/N: Thank you SOOO much to everyone who reviewed!! I worked hard to get this final chapter done, and I hope you like it! Please review - it makes it all so worth it:)
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, only this storyline...
Previously: …His fingers caressed the outer side of the bomb, gently finding the wire that would bring an end to this nightmare. His gloved fingers followed it downward towards the base of the apparatus. He took out the wire cutters and snuggled the wire between the embrace of the two blades. He inhaled, he exhaled. Click.
CHAPTER FIVE
There was silence.
Brennan heard the molded plastic of the wire snip and she clenched her eyes shut. There was nothing; nothing but her pounding heart beating against the clenching embrace of the bomb.
Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly realized that she was still alive. Gradually coming out of her shocked state, she could hear Booth's quiet and uneven breathing. His hand squeezed hers warmly, and she squeezed back – the slick sweat that lined their palms was the only reminder left of that horrifying moment.
Daniels extracted the wire cutters slowly and placed them carefully into the outstretched hand of another agent. Though the wire had been cut, the bomb was still unstable since only the timer had been turned off. Still in the shroud of darkness, the rest of the team carefully approached Brennan and began working on the restraints that were keeping the bomb around her body. The team made quick work, and the only thing left to do was extract the explosive and bring it outside the building to an awaiting containment area.
Booth let go of Brennan's hand as the team gently pulled the restraints down over her arms. She remained perfectly still, and breathed at a shallow, even pace. The moment the weight of the bomb had left her chest, she closed her eyes in thankfulness.
Daniels, as lead agent, grasped the explosive with his two hands and slowly backed away from Brennan, one step at a time. Since the room was still pitch dark, he moved extremely carefully – following his mental map of what he knew the warehouse behind him looked. All of the agents followed behind Daniels, peering fuzzily through the darkness in an attempt to watch his every move.
Booth drew closer to Brennan and put his hands on either side of her face. Finding no need for words, he kissed her forehead slowly; his lips making their way to her eyelids, her cheeks, and finally finding solace on her lips. The kiss was so honest and pure – all of the truth that had been exposed by the threat of death poured freely from their lips. Booth broke away and rested his forehead against hers, "You're safe." He whispered.
"I know." She said, and Booth could hear the smile in her voice.
All of a sudden, Brennan heard a whisper that she recognized as the physical manifestation of a nightmare. "Good work." The voice said.
Daniels immediately stopped moving, on high alert he called out evenly "Who's there?"
Booth wrapped a protective arm around Brennan and brought her with him down to the floor. He covered her body with his, and called out, "Who the hell are you? Show yourself."
"I am very impressed at your work. It's a pity that is was all for nothing." He whispered.
The agents reached for their guns, though they had no idea where to point their weapons. If you interfere with the removal of this bomb, it will cost you your life." Daniels said calmly.
The man ignored him, "Dr. Brennan I told you that your life would be mine, and I will not go back on that promise."
"Don't talk to her." Booth barked, feeling Brennan tremble slightly under his grip.
"It seems Dr. Brennan's life will not be the only one that I take today." He hissed. Agent Daniels heard the sound of the man's coat ruffling and automatically knew what was about to happen.
The remote detonator.
"Get down!" Daniels screamed as he ran towards the door of the warehouse, getting as far as he possibly could from the people behind him. Everything in that moment happened in slow motion. The agent's legs moved one after another – lunging toward the door, praying that the emergency crews outside would have the sense to be far enough away from the warehouse.
Booth buried his face into the back of Brennan's neck and pressed her safely down to the floor, shielding her body with his own. In that moment he knew exactly what was going to happen – in that moment he knew that the bomb was about to explode.
The darkness of the room disintegrated as a thunderous and blinding flash of light exploded in the warehouse. Milliseconds later came the deafening blast as fire and debris pummeled out of the source like rain from a heavy cloud. Booth tightened his grip on Brennan; it was too loud to think, it was too hot to pray. All he knew is that he had survived the explosion and had to get Brennan out before the building collapsed.
Booth's ears were ringing as he lifted his head from Brennan's neck to observe the chaos that erupted around them. All of the agents were scattered like toy soldiers on the ground; some were dead, some were alive. Rumble continued to sprinkle from the dilapidated roof, and the smoke made it nearly impossible to see.
Within a matter of seconds, Booth could hear the shrieks of emergency vehicles pooling to their location. Brennan slowly started to raise her head and Booth lifted his body from hers, detaching himself from his protective stance.
Smoke filled their lungs "Daniels?" she asked, wiping blood away from a gash on her forehead.
"There's no way," Booth said, shaking his head. "We have to get out of here." He lifted Brennan gently by the shoulders, unsure if she could trust her feet to walk.
That could have been me Brennan was screaming in her mind. That bomb was meant for me…
Booth, as if able to read her thoughts, grabbed her hand firmly, "Temperance" he said. The sound of her name on his lips brought her back to reality.
A few of the other agents had started to get up, and were equally as shaken as Booth and Brennan. They got up quickly and scanned the building for another exit. "Over here!" one of them shouted.
The survivors stumbled toward the agent who was standing near a window. As they approached, he lifted a brick and swung it up to the window, shattering it and unleashing a rain of grimy glass globes. A sickly mixture of smoke and dust continued to pummel through the warehouse making it nearly impossible to see anything.
"We don't know what's on the other side." One of the agents said, trying to hoist himself onto the window ledge to no avail.
"Help me up. I'll get over and make sure it's safe. Then send Bones over." Booth said, placing his arm up on the ledge and propping his foot into the agent's grip.
"Booth be careful" Brennan called up, knowing that trying to prevent him from going over first was futile.
Booth reached the window and kicked the rest of the glass through with his foot. "It's clear" he said, "Send Bones over when I'm down." And with that he jumped from the window.
Wordlessly, the two other agents got Brennan up to the window as fast as they could. Brennan peered down from the ledge, trying to wipe the sweat and soot from her eyes and to focus on Booth's outstretched hands. "I'll catch you, just jump" he called up. Without hesitation, Brennan jumped from the window – not because she wanted to, not because she wasn't afraid, but because she knew that in his arms she would be safe.
Booth caught Brennan effortlessly and kept a tight grip on her. They watched as the two agents quickly made their way over the side and start to run to the emergency teams who were trying desperately to find them amongst the rubble.
"Booth, you can put me down you know" Brennan said monotonically, placing a hand on his chest. Though there was pain in his eyes, Booth tried his best to smile. He'd come so close to losing everything in there, he was afraid that if he let her go she would be lost to him forever.
"You told me that we were going to walk out of here together, that's what I want to do." she said. With that, Booth laid her feet gently on the ground and took her hand. The walked to the other side of the building and were greeted with a never ending line of flashing lights, wailing sirens, and scurrying emergency workers.
They learned that day that life can change in an instant. They learned that with a single flash of light, everything can come to an end -- but with every end, there is a new beginning.
Exhale.
THE END! I hope you liked it - it was certainly a "blast" to write... haha pun intended... Please review and let me know your thoughts! It would mean so much!