The Collector by CheeseBK posted 18/09/2007

Posted 23/09/2007 04:00:39 PM
by CheeseBK

Here we go, the next chapter.... Brennan's pov now.... there is nothing "Importan" happening, just to show how she feels....

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Chapter 5:


Brennan looked around… her cell was small…. Too small. She never had had problems to be in small rooms, but this situation was of course different… she had been in the cell for hours or at least she thought it had been hours.
There was nothing for her to help her measure time… not one little thing. No window, no clock, not even a change in sounds or temperature… everything remained the same. She had been in a similar situation before, stuck in a cell with nothing for her to occupy her mind, to distract her from worrying about her prospects.
But this situation even seemed to be worse: She KNEW she was going to die if not Booth and ‘her squints’ discovered where she was…. She was a rational thinking person and she knew that it was very unlikely for them to do so.

She knew that The Collector was going to hurt her, to terrorize her, maybe starve her, maybe rape her and finally to kill her…. All of this frightened her, but what frightened her most was the prospect to die. There were so many things she wanted to do… And she had a family, a very unusual kind of family she wanted to be with. She wanted to live to be with them. Finally she had found something to live for...

Pictures of them popped up in her head. Angela, Hodgins, Zach, even Cam and of course Booth. Booth who had always been there for her in these past years, helping her out of every bad situation she had gotten herself in. Or faith, or her family...

She swallowed hard and licked her dry lips. She tried to force back the thoughts of her friends and her gaze focussed on the bottle of water. It was nearly empty, although she had tried to drink slowly…. She was thirsty, so thirsty and she knew that it had to be the influence of the drug he had given her… just as the memory loss and her headache.

She had tried to recall what had happened, how he had got her, but she remembered nothing after unlocking and opening her apartment door. She stretched her aching body and the sudden pain in her leg reminded her, that she was wounded. She examined the wound once again and decided that it had to be caused by a knife.
A picture, a memory suddenly hit her: A kitchen knife…. In her hand. The blade was covered in blood… then there was only black again. The moment was over and she could not recall anything.

The frustration made her clench her fist and punch the table angrily. She hated the situation she was in… even more so because she could recall Booth telling her to be more careful, that he would drive her home to make sure she would be safe….

She had refused and teased him about his overprotective alpha male behaviour. That had been last evening… after some time of bickering they had agreed on meeting at the home of the DiMartino’s and said Good-bye.
She snorted. ‘I should have trusted his instinct… even though I do not really believe in ‘gut feelings’ … I should have trusted HIM.’

She briefly closed her eyes and made a decision. ‘I am going to trust him NOW…. I know he is going to do everything to find me. He is not going to give up… he has never given up before and he is not going to give up now. And Angela…. Jack, Zach… they are not going to give up.’

She looked around in her small cell, taking in every little detail. She was going to do her best to keep herself sane and strong enough to survive as long as possible. She rose and started to measure the cell, step by step. ‘Always try to know as much as possible about your surroundings!’ she told herself.
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Liked it or not????

Posted 24/09/2007 07:21:41 AM
by bnsbns

Gah.. I love it sooo much.. Please let Booth save her & make the story fluffy

Posted 25/09/2007 09:20:37 PM
by beaglelvr93

OH. MY. GOD. This is so INTENSE! AMAZING start! I just read the whole thing and am HOOKED! More soon please!

Beagle

Posted 01/10/2007 10:57:09 PM
by BoothnBones9

this is SO GOOD!! AHHH!! she got stabbed. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD !!!!!! but it makes booth kick into SUPER MAJOR MAXIMUM PROTECTOR/SEARCHER/FINDER MODE!!!!! FIND HER, BOOTH!!!

please more!

=]

Posted 01/10/2007 11:16:59 PM
by Me_Luv_Bones

Are you updating this fic any time soon?

Posted 02/10/2007 01:43:04 AM
by CheeseBK

oh if I only knew this myself... I have a concept on the story, but the words wont come.... it's making me nuts, really... i hope I can update it soon...

Posted 02/10/2007 03:42:53 AM
byCheeseBK

believe it or not... I have got an update ready.... I whined long enough and my musie finally pitied me and here we are!!! wohoooo....

hope you like it, please let me know, will you?

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Chapter 6:

Brennan sighed. She now knew that her cell was approximately 3 by 4,5 meters, height about 2 meters. She had been examining the heavy iron door and knew that there were two openings. The bigger one was just above the floor and she assumed that her kidnapper was going to use it to supply her with water, maybe food.... as long as he wanted her to stay alive.

The other opening was a little slit at eye-level, clearly he would use that to check on her. Both openings were closed now and of course they could not be opened from her side of the door.

Brennan had also examined the chair and the table.... wooden, cheap, in use for some time, but not really old. She knew the text on the back of the now empty bottle of water by heart.

She tried to invent something that may help her measure time, but she could not think of anything... the noise of the muffled radio had died some time ago and now there really was nothing left for her to distract herself from realising how hopeless her situation was.

Suddenly she heard a noise.... a scream, a female voice. She shuddered.
Obviously The Collector tortured one of his...... collectibles. She briefly closed her eyes, wondering when it was going to be her turn. Furiously she shook her head, that was not the way to survive!

She grabbed the empty plastic bottle and read the text on the back again, trying to focus on it to shut out the occasional, now muffled screams she heard.

‘Fresh spring water from.....’

_____________________________

“God damn........ that asshole........” Booth exclaimed and punched the couch in Brennan’s office. Once..... twice....... then he collapsed onto it and buried his head in his hands. ‘Calm down... calm down... You need to calm down to be able to help her!’

He heard a shy voice from the door. “Agent Booth?” Booth inhaled slowly and turned towards the door to look at Zach.

“Yeah?” he asked.

Zach sighed and presented him a sheet of paper. “I was able to identify all the fingerprints that have been secured........” Booth looked down at the sheet of paper and nodded.... not a big surprise there, all fingerprints belonged to Brennan, Angela, Sully and him.

“Ahmmmm Agent Booth.... what was that punching the couch about?” Zach asked curiously.

Booth sighed and pointed towards the screen. “That’s what all tapes look like.” The screen was black. “The bastard managed to manipulate every single camera in the building and at the parking lot.” Booth spoke through gritted teeth.

“Oh.” Zach commented. “That is not helpful.”

Booth closed his eyes. “Exactly.”

“Seeley?” Cam’s voice could be heard from somewhere outside Brennan’s office. “We have got something!”

Booth jumped to his feet and hurried outside Brennan’s office, nearly knocking over Zach.

He reached the platform where Hodgins and Cam were standing, looking at a screen.
“What is it, Cam?” Booth asked.

“The blood on the floor really was Dr. Brennan’s.... I am sorry.” Cam started, impatiently interrupted by Booth. “Yeah, what else?”

“The blood on the blade .... was not only hers. Unfortunately it mingled and so I could not extract a DNA so far, but I’ll try something new... For now all I can definitely tell is, that Dr. Brennan managed to hurt her attacker and that he is male....”

Booth nodded. He had already known the attacker was male, but it was somehow comforting to know Brennan managed to hurt her attacker before. On the other side the majority of the blood they had found had been hers, so she had paid a high price for wounding The Collector.

He sighed. “Okay.... Please concentrate on that DNA-extracting thing, Hodgins. We need to find out more.

“Booth!” Angela raced around a corner, a print-out in her hand. “I was able to restore the footprints. Those are Jack Wolfskin Crosshike shoes, size 12.5.”

“Never heard of that.” Booth shook his head.

“You can only get them in Europe.... and it’s new model, came out about 5 months ago... So The Collector was in Europe ... the first reported kidnapping was .... “ she checked on another sheet “4 months and 3 weeks ago. Our kidnapper was in Europe, in the first week of May.”

“Or somebody brought the shoes for him.” Zach objected.

“I don’t think so. They cost 160 dollars. Would you buy them without trying them on? I certainly would not!” Angela answered.

“Good.” Booth said and nodded. “But we need more. We can’t interrogate every guy who happened to be in Europe that time, but it may help us later.”

The others nodded in agreement,. At least Angela’s discovery had given them the comfort of a small success.

“The tapes?” Angela asked.

Booth shook his head. “Useless. He manipulated all cameras. I am going to leave now and ask around in the whole neighbourhood. He must have been around there for some time, this was carefully planned. Maybe somebody saw something....”

He left the platform and grabbing his jacket he looked back over his shoulder at the squints. “Call me as soon as you find something!”

Angela smiled wryly. ‘As soon, not if. He trusts us to find out more..... and we will!’ She thought.

“Let’s get going!” she said.

--Last edited by CheeseBK on 2007-10-02 07:04:13 --

Posted 02/10/2007 05:39:24 AM
by bnsbns

I'm so glad that you update it Love it btw ...

Posted 02/10/2007 07:21:43 AM
by oxLaceyxo

Me Too that was good. Keep Going

Posted 02/10/2007 08:54:16 AM
by Me_Luv_Bones

Great chapter...now if you could only keep them coming!!!!!

Posted 15/10/2007 04:25:18 AM
by CheeseBK

I am working on the next chapter, I hope to be able to put it up tomorrow

Posted 25/10/2007 06:26:03 AM
by lilpixie18

yeah an update looking 4ward 2 it!!! ur doin a brill job so far!!

Posted 05/11/2007 09:30:54 AM
by CheeseBK

WOHOO!!! The next chapter!!! This is Booth's pov now, while interrogating some of Brennan's neighbours. I know you may think there is nothing important in this chapter, but I tell you somethings might get important later....

please let me now what you think!!!

_________________________

Chapter 7:

Booth parked his car beside Brennan’s. To see her car in the usual spot made him clench his fists. He recalled the conversation they had had the evening before. Was it really just some hours ago? It seemed like a lifetime to him. He should have been more persuasive, he should have insisted on driving her home. Booth briefly closed his eyes and he could nearly hear her voice in his head: “Booth, I am driving with MY car to MY apartment, just as I do EVERYDAY...... there is no need for you to be overprotective...”
Booth sighed and opened his door to enter the building to interrogate Bones’ neighbours.

He decided to start with the apartments on the same floor as Brennan’s, her direct neighbours. After knocking on the first door for some time without an answer he turned towards the next door and knocked again. After some time he heard the voice of an elderly woman shouting : “Patience, patience. I am old.” He made out slow steps coming near the door and the voice asked him for his name and purpose. “I am special agent Seeley Booth with the FBI, madam.” He showed his badge through the spyhole and continued. “Yesterday there was an incident at your neighbours apartment and I would like to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind?”

The elderly woman opened the door reluctantly and eyed him suspiciously, but also curiously. “The scientist, right?”

“Dr. Temperance Brennan, yes” Booth pointed at the door of the apartment in question. “Did you maybe notice something unusual?”

“Besides the fact that the whole hall was jammed with people all morning? Nah, not really.... You must know without this” she pointed towards her hearing device “I am nearly deaf. And I don’t make a habit of spying on my neighbours.” Her voice was like acid.

Booth suppressed a snort. He had enough experience with people to know that justifications without asking for them seldom came without a little feeling of guilt. And he knew that elderly people living alone had little things to distract themselves.
‘Play the game, Booth!’ he told himself and flashed her the best charm smile he could muster up in his recent state. “Of course not, Madam, I would never assume that. But sometimes living close to other people brings a little knowledge of each other with it....”

The elderly woman seemed to relax a bit at the sound of his words. “Well..... to be honest..... It so happens I heard raised voices yesterday evening, but don’t ask me what time.... but after a few moments it was quiet again. I could not make out a single word............ I mean.... not that I was trying...” she stumbled over her own words.

“No, of course not, Madam..... you were merely noticing raised voices, I understand.” Booth encouraged her to go on. “Maybe you accidentally noticed how many different voices?”

“A man and the doctor..... Odd woman that is...... “ the old woman grumbled.

Booth cleared his throat and tried to fight down his urge to shout at the old woman. “Oh?”

“A woman that age should be married, that’s what I am saying.... don’t you think so? And something is odd about that woman, I am telling you.... Sorry, what has been you name? You look familiar, now that I am thinking of it?” The woman’s eyes narrowed a bit.

“Agent Booth, madam. I sometimes work with Dr. Brennan.” Booth answered.

“Yes. I know, I know ... you have been here sometimes. So, so... working with her, that’s what you call it these days?” She shook her head and muttered something Booth did not understand, although he could make out words that sounded suspiciously like ‘disgusting’, ‘Young people’ and ‘good old time’. He briefly closed his eyes and counted to three.

“Don’t you want to tell me what happened? Did she get herself into trouble? Wouldn’t be a surprise..... Living alone, ain’t no proper thing for a woman, I tell you! And working with dead people, disgusting, mark my words....” the woman started to ramble.

“Dr. Brennan has been kidnapped.” Booth pressed the words through gritted teeth.

“See! Ain’t no proper thing for a woman that age to live alone....... What? Kidnapped? Here? In MY HOUSE?” Only now the elderly neighbour seemed to be shocked.

“I am afraid that’s the truth” Booth confirmed.

“But..... This has always been a good neighbourhood! I am telling you! This odd woman working with dead bodies! Brings kidnappers to our house! What are you doing to protect us now, eh? How can I be sure nothing is going to happen to me, eh?” The old woman pointed at him accusingly with her arthritic index finger.

That was too much for Booth’s self control. His eyes went dark with anger and his voice dropped to a dangerous tone when he said:
“I can assure you that Dr. Brennan did not choose to get kidnapped and that it is not her fault that this happened. She helps to solve crimes, maybe you should honour this a bit!
And though I am not allowed to speak about ongoing investigations I can assure you that the kidnapper in question is not the least bit interested in old hags! Thank you for your so-called co-operation.”

He turned around to the stairs, to go down at the floor below, his ears ringing with the old woman’s curses, accusations and complaints about the young people of today, somewhere in the middle silenced by her apartment door slammed shut.

He nearly ran into a man of about forty years who was just coming up, an fidgeting with his apartment key. “Sorry” the man mumbled, looked at Booth and recognition dawned on his face. “Oh....... you are Dr. Brennan’s work partner, aren’t you?”

Booth stopped and nodded. “Yes, Special Agent Booth. And you are.....”

“James Pond. With P, not B.” He smiled. “That’s my apartment” He pointed towards the door Booth had been knocking at without success. “Is this about Dr. Brennan? That’s why all the people have been here?”

Booth nodded again. “Yes. There was an....... incident last night and I would like to ask you some questions if possible.”

“No problem” Mr. Pond agreed “Come on in. The old crone surely is eavesdropping again.”

A hardly audible grunt from behind the apartment door on their left side confirmed his statement. Pond grinned and shrugged, then unlocked his apartment door and motioned for Booth to come in.

A few moments later they were sitting in Pond’s living room. Pond cleared his throat and said: “Well you already had the pleasure to meet the old crone. Horrible person. Don’t believe a word she says. All she can do is whine about the good old time and how horrible the young people of today are.”

“Got a first-hand impression of that.” Booth agreed. “Well, Mr. Pond. The reason for me being here is..... It seems there was a break-in into Dr. Brennan’s apartment last night. She is missing. Now I would like to ask you if you noticed anything unusual last night or last evening?”

“Nope, sorry, man. I would really like to help, but I’ve been working at the hospital, night shift. I came home at 4:30 this morning and everything was quiet. I woke up somewhat around 10:00 when I heard people in the hall, I guess those were your people, right?”

Booth nodded. “Did you notice anything when you came home? We do not know when exactly the kidnapping took place, so it might help us to establish a time window...”

Pond frowned a bit obviously thinking hard, but after a few minutes he shook his head. “Nope, sorry... I’ve been pretty worn out and tired... Shit... I am sorry that I can’t help you. I hope you find her... she’s cool.”

Booth only nodded and thanked Pond for his time, leaving him his card. “You might want to talk to Sandy from downstairs. She’s got the apartment directly underneath Dr. Brennan’s. Sandy Nichols. Maybe she knows something. Good luck, Agent Booth.”

Booth sighed and thanked him again, then went downstairs to talk to Sandy Nichols.

He knocked at her door and soon afterwards a young blond woman with sympathetic green eyes opened. “Hi” she grinned at him. “Wrong floor!”

“Sorry?” Booth asked confused.

“Well, usually you are knocking at the door one floor up. You are Brennan’s so-called partner. Agent Booth. Now don’t look so surprised, you think nobody notices how often you come to see her?” She giggled. “Partner.” Another giggle. “So.... assuming you did not just mix up the floor numbers... how can I help you?”

Booth quickly recovered from the shock that everybody at this house was assuming that he and Brennan had an affair. ‘Well, who gives a shit, I have to find her.’

“Last night somebody broke into Dr. Brennan’s apartment...”

The green eyes widened in shock. “Really? Oh, that’s what all the fuss was about? All those people this morning? Oh, shoot... but......FBI? You do not deal with a normal break-in, don’t you... Did ... something happen to Dr. Brennan?”

“She is missing. I have a few question, If you have time.......” Booth answered, unsuccessfully trying to mask the pain behind the words.

“Oh, SHIT! I mean sorry...... well, come in.” She guided him to her kitchen, motioned for him to sit down at the table and poured both of them a glass of water. “Missing .... as in kidnapped?”

Booth nodded. “Yes. We know she has been kidnapped. Unfortunately we do not know what time it happened. Maybe you could help us, did you notice something? Heard something maybe?”

The young woman still looked utterly shocked. “I met her on the stairs when she came home last evening. Told her about power outage we had yesterday morning....”

“Power outage? When?” Booth asked.

“At about 9 or so. She had already left, as usual. It was only for a few minutes... It was only this building they figured it was a problem with a fuse or something. An electrician came a few hours later and checked out the whole building and replaced a fuse or something. I don’t know about that stuff, you would have to ask the caretaker, Mr. Pearse downstairs.”

“Okay, I will do that, thank you. Anything else you recall?” Booth asked.

“Well....... yeah yesterday evening I heard some shouting or so.... but..... I figured it was the old crone watching TV at maximum volume again..... I...... Oh God. What if I heard her scream and...... Oh shit, I should have checked on it, but I just thought..... Oh God damn it. You think it was that sick bastard? That Collector? The newspapers are full with him....”

Booth sighed. “I am sorry, Miss Nichols, but I can’t answer that question... Do you recall at what time you heard the screams?”

She miserably shook her head. “Sorry, I have no idea.... After 10 in the evening, for sure, but what time exactly? Sorry, I don’t know.....”

Booth sighed again. “Well, thank you for your help, Ms. Nichols. Here is my card, please call me if you remember anything else.”

She nodded, then briefly squeezed his hand, he looked at her, clearly surprised. “I am sorry, Agent Booth.... this must be very hard for you. I hope you can find her soon.” Her words sounded genuinely sympathetic and the concern in her eyes made him swallow hard.
“Yeah” he croaked, then cleared his throat to steady his voice. “Thank you, Miss Nichols.”

When she closed the door he leaned against the wall. He was feeling totally worn out after only three interrogations, and there were still some neighbours left. At least he had found out something interesting. A power failure, the very day Brennan had been kidnapped. Coincidence? Booth did not believe in coincidences.

Posted 05/11/2007 10:23:41 AM
by nane

Hi Cheese , just found this fine piece of writing and swallowed the whole cake at once.
It´s a great story. Good not to detailed start to keep the readers hooked....
Last chappie was fun to read. My name is James, James Pond with a B. Had to think of Gordon Gordon of course.
Please keep going. You are doing a great job here!!

Posted 05/11/2007 11:19:27 AM
by BGWGscienceteacher

I love the James Pond name. I'm glad Booth put the "old crone" in her place. Stupid hag! I'm wondering what parts of this chapter are going to be really important later. I'm guessing the power outage is one of them. PPS