Happy Valentine's Day!! 3
Author's Note: Sad to say, but this is the LAST chapter! It originally was going to be 2 chapters, but I've compiled it into one long one instead! It just flows better this way :)
I really enjoyed writing this fic and thank you to everyone who read and reviewed it - it means so much!! Please let me know what you think of this last chapter, I'd love to get some feedback (or even feedback of the story in general!)
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters... only the storyline:)
Chapter Ten
Sun was streaming in through the window when Seeley awoke. It took a moment to register where he was, and he was elated when he felt the woman asleep beside him. His arms were still around her, and they tingled not only from the decrease in bloodflow, but from the soft skin they encircled. Just then, the alarm clock on the night table beeped and he swung his free hand over and shut it off. Temperance stirred and awoke slowly. "Hey there" Booth whispered with one of his trademark smiles. "Hey" she reciprocated.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, slowly running his hand over her arm.
"Fine. My head hurts." she said, finally growing accustomed to her surroundings and her cheeks turned slightly rosy. "Sorry about last night, I really was just…"
"Don't apologize" he scoffed as he brushed her hair off her face and gently brushed her forehead with his lips.
She smiled slowly and they locked eyes. Suddenly she remembered, "Booth, I'm testifying today. What time is it?" she said as she tried to strain her sore head to see the clock.
"Don't worry, it's only 8, we don't have to be in court until 11:30. That is, if you're sure you even wanna go. They have a written statement from your doctors –"
"Booth, no. I really need to be there." She said, more sternly than she actually meant. She didn't like it when he was so persistent, but at the same time she was so thankful to have someone who cared enough to say something. "But thanks" she added as she put her head back down on his chest.
"Umm. So what does this mean?" She asked him tentatively a moment later, leading Booth back to reality.
"What does what mean?" He asked.
She turned and looked up into his eyes, and then looked away. "Nevermind" she said.
Booth then realized she was referring to their…arrangement… and smiled to himself as he gently pulled Temperance closer to him.
"It's whatever we make it. Not everything can be deduced rationally, Bones." He whispered.
One hour later, Booth was in the kitchen pouring two cups of coffee when his cell phone rang.
"Yo Seeley, is your girl coming testifying today or not?" It was James Corten, the lead prosecutor who had worked with Booth on several other cases.
"She's pretty set on coming, and not the kind of girl you mess with."
"Excellent. I'll see you both in an hour or so."
Meanwhile, Brennan was in her room getting dressed very slowly. Her hair was still wet and tied up haphazardly in a tight bun. Booth had helped her into the wheelchair that morning, but she refused his help when it came to her getting ready. It had taken every aspect of her flexibility to wash her hair in the bathroom sink and not ruin her bandage. It felt so good to be remotely clean again, and to actually apply make up; Brennan wasn't exactly the most girly person around, but she did like to look half presentable.
Picking an outfit was difficult, especially since there was no way of fitting her usual dress pants over her casts. She finally settled on a black skirt and a dressy teal top which added a bit of colour to her otherwise drained features. She snatched a trademark clunky necklace and then wheeled herself out into the main room where Booth was busying himself around in the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" She laughed at Booth while she untied her hair from its bun and allowed it to finish drying.
"What does it look like? I'm exercising my mad culinary skills." He said jokingly without looking up. "You look amazing." He said, finally looking at her.
She smiled and then retorted, "So does this food!" as she wheeled over to the table.
Once they had spent about fifteen minutes over breakfast, nearly 5 of which devoted to Booth convincing Bones to take her pain medication, Seeley grabbed his minorly wrinkled suit out of his bag and changed in her room.
He returned to find her sitting by the window, looking out at the people below. "Hey" he said.
"Oh you scared me! Sorry" she said with a nervous twitter.
"You ok?" He said, putting his hands on her shoulders and following her gaze outside the window.
"Yeah. I mean I just can't believe how close I came." She said slowly, deep in thought. "I thought I'd never be here… again. See you, talk to Russ, anything."
Booth studied her face for a moment, without her looking. Her hair was dry now, and rippled down her neck in soft auburn waves. Her eyes were so alive, but there were large dark circles beneath them as if just another reminder to the tribulations she had fought. They had fought.
"I'll never let anyone make you think that again. You're never alone in anything."
A moment passed until she finally looked up, her eyes slightly reddened. "I know." She said as she placed her hand upon his.
Booth and Brennan reached the courthouse at 11:00AM, in time to meet with Corten in the chambers before the trial began. Brennan would not be testifying until he and the defense had laid out their respective initial arguments, and the surveillance footage of both the theft and her kidnapping had been viewed by the jury as evidence.
"So after the jury sees the tapes, I'm going to stand and read the doctor's statement about your injuries. All you have to do then is go up and… well I'm sure you know what to say from there." Corten said as he patted Brennan on the back and then shook Booth's hand.
Once Corten had gone, Booth rolled Brennan out of the prosecution's chambers and down the long hallway towards the courtroom. He opened up the doors and they made their way down to their assigned seats. The courtroom was bustling, and most of the people were already present. Brennan heard a few people start to talk about her as she rolled by.
"Oh the poor woman…" "Did you see those casts?" "She was in a coma…"
Once they reached their seat, Angela shot up and kissed Brennan on the cheek. "Hey sweetie! How are you feeling?" She said, clearly concerned.
"Oh I'm fine. Booth has been amazing." She said and Seeley reddened a bit as he took his seat.
"I'll bet he has." Angela said in a teasing voice. Since Brennan was in her wheel chair she was sitting on the isle next to Booth, and Angela was sitting directly behind him.
"Order. Order." The court clerk said as the Judge entered the room and everyone stood. Everyone but Brennan, who sat there awkwardly and looked around her at the familiar and unfamiliar faces.
"You may be seated. Please enter, defense."
Just then, Camille and John, both dressed in orange jumpsuits, were escorted from a side door near the platform by three guards. Cam shot her eyes up and looked directly at Brennan, who stared at her right back. Seeley saw what was happening and reached for Brennan's cold hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He himself had grown very tense; the very sight of them sickened him.
The trial began as expected, and Brennan could feel the eyes of the jury on her every time they mentioned her evidence or her kidnapping. Two hours had passed, and the prosecution and the defense had just finished relating their baseline arguments. Neither Camille nor John seemed to move once during the proceedings; they simply stared straight ahead, not wanting to face the shame of their peers.
Temperance was finding it very painful to sit still, as her legs were becoming increasingly achy in their fat white casts. She fidgeted around until she found a new position for her back, but that only cured the aches for a few moments. Booth noticed her discomfort and leaned over as the defense was wrapping up their remarks.
"You okay?" he whispered. "If you want we can get out and I can get you some water for your pills. You're just about due…"
"No, no I'm fine. Just a little restless." She whispered back with a tiny reassuring smile before returning her gaze to the court proceedings infront of them.
"If I may, Your Honour, I shall now present the evidence collected by Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute regarding the grand theft charges against Dr. Camille Saroyan, and her accomplice John Potter.
"Proceed" the judge replied, indifferently.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if I may lead your attention over to this screen." Corten said as he walked toward the large white projection screen sitting on the left of the Judge's podium.
The next few minutes were rather tense ones, as the prosecution played each of the 7 clips of Camille abducting the valuables. Some jury members shook their heads in disbelief and a few whispered to one another. It truly was unexpected; why would a renowned doctor gamble so much away, just for more money? Temperance was motionless during the entire viewing, but near the end of the last clip she glanced over at Camille. She wanted to see how this woman would react to such utter shame. Not once did Cam even look up the screen – she was apathetic.
Once the clips had finished, Corten commenced the next portion of charges laid against Cam and John – those of Brennan's kidnapping and assault. Booth immediately became very tense. Brennan herself had not yet seen these videos, and was slightly uneasy – however this feeling of uneasiness did not last long. She knew that now she was safe.
The black and white surveillance image flooded the polar white screen, as the lights in the courtroom dimmed once again. There was Brennan, bending over as she peered into a microscope. She then walked over to reach for a collection of mineral samples when the dark figure entered the field of view and attacked her from behind, forcing her to violently fall forward into the forensic gurney. The entire audience, not only the jury, gasped as they saw the black pool of blood seep around Brennan's head. Everyone began to mumble. Brennan stared at the floor.
"Order. Order." The judge demanded, and silence quickly followed.
Booth would not allow himself to look back up at the screen. He couldn't see it again. Instead, he looked to his left over to the defense table where Camille and John sat expressionless. He hated them with the core of his being. They had threatened Bones' life, they had threatened the one thing that could truly bring Seeley Booth down.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I warn you that the following image is rather graphic, but critical to the proper understanding of the nature of Dr. Brennan's assault." Corten said, as the next picture filled the screen.
There was a gasp from the courtroom, and then an inexplicable shocked silence. This last image was an enlarged version of the picture John had sent to Booth, depicting a very bloody Brennan chained to a wall, unable to look at the camera, with her legs broken in impossible directions below her.
Bones gagged inwardly, haunted by the image before her. "Come on Brennan, rational, rational rational. You're safe. He found you. Stay focused, you're up next." She thought to herself, forcing any ounce of emotion out of her system.
Booth's hand locked around hers once again, neither of them bothered to look at each other as they were thinking the same thing. Camille Saroyan is going down.
As two guards removed the large screen from the courtroom, the jury mumbled amongst themselves and openly stared at Brennan who found herself, once again, staring at the floor. Those moments felt like ages, until the prosecution finally called upon Brennan.
"I call Dr. Temperance Brennan, the victim of these charges and supplier of previous indicting evidence, to the stand to share her testimony." Corten said as he motioned to Brennan.
Brennan unlocked the brakes on her chair and Booth stood to push her to the stand.
"No Booth, I want to do this on my own." She whispered, grabbing both wheels with her hands. Booth looked at her for a second, and then nodded, completely respecting her choice.
It took Brennan a moment to reach the edge of the platform when she realized she could move up no further. She rolled around and faced the audience, taking in the sight before her. She looked at Angela, who had tears in her eyes as she gave Brennan a half smile and discreetly gave her the thumbs up. She looked at the jury, who were gazing intently at her, waiting for her to begin. She looked at Camille, who caught her gaze and then tore her eyes away. When those moments had passed, Temperance finally allowed her gaze to fall upon Booth. He looked tense, tired, and anxious. But when she stared into his dark eyes, through and through, she sensed something different: assurance. Booth truly and honestly believed in her, and that was when Temperance opened her mouth to speak.
"My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan. I am a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institution." Brennan paused for a moment, looking down at her casts. She looked back up, as if with a suddenly acquired strength. She was going to say her bit and get out of here.
"I first noticed Dr. Saroyan's suspicious behavior nearly two months ago when I was asked by Dr. Saroyan to run a test on a Roman era skull, and it went missing three days later. Following these suspicions, I proceeded to employ a recording apparatus by which …" Brennan continued her observations for the next fifteen minutes, as if completely avoiding the experiences related to her capture and assault.
"… As you saw in the videos, it can be clearly deduced that –"
"Dr. Brennan, if you don't mind me interrupting." Corten said as he stood. "I understand you have been through a great deal, but if you would be so obliged as to relay some of your more personal consequences from the actions of the defense."
"I – yes. Of course…"
"What's the first thing you remember?" Corten prompted. There was a brief and thoughtful pause before Brennan began.
"I remember darkness. My eyes, I couldn't open them at first. My arms were chained above me, but all I could feel was the pain in my head, it was nearly unbearable. There was blood… It was everywhere. In some places it was dry, but whenever I moved I could feel more flow down." Temperance paused to swallow. "I noticed my legs then - I tried to move around and they wouldn't. I screamed, but nothing came out. I was sure that I would die. I was sure I would never make it here." It was then that Temperance's voice began to waver, the emotion beginning to pour from every pore of her body just as the blood had flown out of her in that room.
"I wanted to believe that Bo – they – would come, but I couldn't force myself to believe it. I was afraid of what I'd never get to do. I was afraid of what I'd never get to say." She said quietly as she glanced for a moment at Booth, who was very pale and had glassy eyes.
"And I think… I think that scared me more than the pain I was facing. I was afraid of what I'd miss. Those who know me, and even those who don't, view me as a rational person. In that room, it was the irrational that scared me." Those words haunted Booth, as he immediately flashed back to the argument they had had before her abduction…
"….You know, if you could just face up to how you ACTUALLY feel and not be so guarded to everyone you know, you wouldn't have to throw yourself into work so much to convince yourself you're happy with your life…"
"My whole body felt like it was on fire. The room was dark and very small; I had no idea where I was. That man, John, came in a few times and taunted me. He took pictures of me, and then came back with a laptop to film me. I could see Booth…" She stopped for a moment and looked down at the ground, blankly as a foreign tear escaped from her eye.
"I could see my partner's face and suddenly I felt like I had a chance."
"According to the team of doctors at the hospital, as well as the paramedics on the scene, Dr. Brennan sustained numerous compound fractures to the…" Corten's monotone description of her injuries continued, but Brennan could no longer hear his voice. Everything went silent as she stared at Camille. It was then that Brennan realized that though Cam had taken so much away from Brennan, there was something that had come out of this that was for the better. Cam and John had robbed her of her comfort, of two months of her life, of the freedom of mobility, of her personal and mental security, but there was one thing that they had given her: a second chance.
"Thank you, Dr. Brennan. I am sure that I am not alone in saying that I sincerely hope that the jury will seek to serve justice for you today in this courtroom." Corten said genuinely as Brennan wheeled herself back to her position next to Booth. Temperance looked at him with wide vulnerable eyes, and he stared back, as if telepathically transmitting the intense emotion he felt. "You did good, Bones. You did good." He managed with a half smile and kissed her on the cheek, completely oblivious to the eyes that were on them. The jury then left the room to deliberate their decision.
Half an hour later, the jury emerged from the deliberation room and silence soon fell upon the courtroom. The judge motioned to the Head Juror, who approached the bench and took the microphone in her hand.
"We, the jury, find both Dr. Camille Saroyan and Mr. John Potter guilty upon all counts."
Applause erupted from the audience, and Booth wrapped his left arm around Brennan and gently stroked her arm. She let out a radiant smile, one he had missed over the past months.
"Dr. Camille Saroyan. You are hereby found guilty by this court of law for seven counts of federal theft, one case of kidnapping, and one case of aiding aggravated assault. You are hereby facing life imprisonment, with the question of parole dependent upon behavior. Mr. John Potter, you are hereby found guilty by this court of law for seven counts of aiding in federal theft, one case of kidnapping, and one case of aggravated assault. You too are hereby facing life imprisonment. Case closed." The judge said definitively, with the triumphant thud of the gavel.
The jury clapped once again. Camille and John were lead out by guards through the same side door they entered, fully cuffed. Camille was fuming and struggled against the guard to look over her shoulder, as her eyes met with Temperance's for one final time.
"You did it." Booth said after Cam and John had been lead out.
"We did it." Bones corrected. "And next time I tell you about some wild conspiracy theory, you'd better believe me. I'm not doing that damsel-in-distress thing ever again." She said, as Booth chuckled and leaned into her.
"Don't worry; you'll never be in distress ever again if I have anything to do with it."
"I'm sure you'll have a lot to do with it." She smirked.
He sighed and took her hand in his. "You're my weakness Bones. You're my Kryptonite."
"I don't know what that means" she said half jokingly, and smiled incandescently, her face near his.
Booth knew what he saw in that smile. It was life, it was love. It was the one thing that should never be questioned.
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♥«´¨•° THE END °•´¨»♥
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