Chapter 10

No words were said on the car ride home. Hodgins and Angela let the two ride in the back in silence, which was good, because Brennan looked too fragile for conversation. Her skin had gone paler, and she was nestled into the crook of Booth's arm, almost like a porcelain doll. Booth hated seeing her like this. It was like they had gone back to start at their recovery game, and it was going to take more than passing Go to build them up again.

When they arrived at Booth's place, the friends whispered their goodbyes and left the two alone. The silence was heavy, it hung over their heads like a dark cloud, so Booth was the first to break it, chattering aimlessly about old cases, about Parker's new Email account, about the second season of The Librarians coming on Demand...

He was making coffee when Brennan broke.

A sob cut thru the air, and he whirled around. Her head was nestled between her arms, she leaned on the table, her chest heaving in silent cries. He was by her side in a second, gathering her in his arms, holding her close. Tears wet his shirt, hands clutched him tight.

It was too much...this was too much for them. Every moment they had to stand in that courtroom, telling everything they had been thru, all the pain they had endured...

She had stopped crying now, but neither wanted to let go.

Then, the coffee beeped its timer, and shakily Brennan said, "You...you should grab that."

At first he didn't, but then it beeped again and he growled in annoyance.

Two steaming cups were placed on the side table, as the two settle down for an episode of some history show that Brennan liked. Booth only tolerated it this once, under the circumstances.

When they fell asleep, neither one remembered, but Booth woke first. It was 2 AM, so he picked her up like a doll and tucked her in, sliding into the bed next to her. Instinctively, she nestled into his chest, before falling deeper into sleep. He wasn't far behind her, the warmth she gave off drawing him into a dreamless slumber.

The next morning, he was cold.

He heard the TV going, and the sizzling of eggs in a pan, before he cracked his eyes open. He ran a hand thru his already mussed up hair, as he walked into the room. Brennan didn't look up, "Want some?"

"Definitely." The plate slid across the table. He waited for her to shut the oven off before grabbing her own plate and joining him.

"I can't do it."

He looked up, "What's wrong, Bones?"

She seemed...scared. "I can't testify. Don't they have all they need for jail time?"

"You know they don't. Right now, it's just my word against theirs." He leaned forward, "Bones what's wrong? You seem...scared."

Brennan's eyes widened, "I-I do? I don't know what you mean, n-nothing wrong. Everything's fine."

Now he stood up, and began walking over to her, "Bones, something is-"

"Booth stop it...please..." The pleading tone in his voice made him freeze. He watched her eyes flicker to his holster, which was resting on the coffee table across the room, and then to the back room behind her.

Slowly, Booth began backing off, "Bones, come over here for a second." He said in a hushed voice, beginning to walk towards the bedroom.

"I...I can't. The eggs will get cold." Her knuckles gripped the granite countertop so hard they turned white, Booth stopped his backward retreat and came forward again, making a beeline for her. Before she could protest, he had pulled her into a hug. She quickly moved her head to his shoulder, "Their in the back room. There's three of them Booth, we have to move they know somethings wrong."

Booth quickly pulled her around, so Brennan was safe, "On my word, you move."

"Booth, no-"

He held her a little tighter, "I'm not asking. I'll be right behind you, go straight to the fire escape and run. If you have time, there's a gun in the drawer, but if not then just run Bones."

"They will kill you."

"I didn't get you out of one bad situation to put you into another. Three...two...one..."

Brennan felt his push her backward, and she ran, skidding to a stop behind the bed and grabbing the gun. Behind her, three gunshots rang out, as she turned with the barrel facing the doorway. Booth was behind the island, as the three men came out with guns smoking. She shot three times in quick succession, one hitting a large man in the chest. He fell before he could scream. The next bullet went wild, but the third hit the kneecap of the smallest man.

The two remaining men stumbled back into their hiding place. Booth turned to her, mouthing, "Get out of here!" But she shook her head. She wasn't going to leave him.

A shot echoed thru the room, she ducked for cover as the window behind her shattered on impact, which was strange. They had had a clear shot, she hadn't been paying attention...

Then it happened.

Cold metal whipped the side of her head, she went down. The gun was wrenched from her hands, a fist gripped a handful of her hair and smacked her head against the ground. Darkness began closing in.

She could hear Booth screaming her name behind her, before another crack rang out and he went silent.

This couldn't be happening...this had to be a bad dream, anything else but the reality.

Then it all went black.

To Be Continued

Thank you guys for reading the first part of my story, Not Alone. I'm super excited about it being done, and I'll have the second installment up soon. This wasn't originally going to be a two-parter, but I have soooo many other fics I can be working on right now its killing me.

So REVEW! What happens to the duo from here? Can I kill one of them? Oh I'm tempted...

LOVE YALL

Chesca