Disclaimer: I don't own Bones
Set some time after the show's finale, our fave couple in a dire situation.
"So we've made the news again," Booth said as he slid into the driver's side of his SUV.
"So we have." Brennan smiled, grinning back at her husband.
"Highest solve rate in the country baby!" Booth held up his hand and Brennan gave him a high-five.
"But that's not why we should be happy."
"You're right," Booth replied as he pulled out of their driveway and onto the street. It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning. The clear blue sky was filled with fluffy white clouds and the road Booth was driving down devoid of traffic, the entire setting picturesque, as if straight from a painting. The children were spending the day with Angela and the couple had decided to pack a picnic to the nearby park to spend some time together. "It's because of the Naomi Matterson case."
"Yes. Identifying her remains in limbo and giving her family closure after twenty years is very fulfilling."
"I'm glad we got to close a cold case. We don't do that often enough."
"I just wish the press didn't pick up on that. Now the whole world knows we solved the case and her family won't be able to process their grief in private. The news article should have been confined to our solve rate and not throw attention onto the Matterson family."
"You're definitely right about that Bones."
They drove past Mrs Duncan walking her dog. Booth offered a the older woman a small wave. "Looks like we aren't the only ones out this early huh?"
"Mrs Duncan's daily morning walks are beneficial in keeping arthritis at bay. Important for someone her age."
As Booth made a turn down the still deserted street, they saw a blue van parked ahead. An elderly man was hunched next to its right rear tire, visibly struggling to change what appeared to be a flat tire.
"We should stop to see if he needs help Booth," Brennan said as the SUV neared.
"My thoughts exactly Bones," Booth replied as he pulled up behind the van, killing the SUV's engine. "You wait here, I'll go see if the old guy needs some help."
Booth got out of the SUV and approached the man. "Need a hand?"
Before Booth could react, the man rose to his feet in a surprisingly quick motion. The first thing Booth noticed was that the man's face betrayed his age. It was youthful, rather than marked with wrinkles as he was expecting. His grey-haired appearance was clearly fake. Almost simultaneously, Booth realised that the man had a gun aimed at him. It was at waist level, so Booth was certain Brennan wasn't aware of what was happening.
"Whoa, okay pal, what do you want? You trying to rob us or something?"
"No." The man replied.
"Okay." Booth had to think quickly. He knew that identifying himself as a law enforcement professional tended to make matters worse, so he decided not to reveal the fact yet. If this wasn't a robbery, then it had to be some kidnapping or perhaps someone trying to get back at him for putting them away. Whatever the reason, he hoped Brennan would stay in the car.
"Whatever it is we can talk this through."
Behind him, he heard the car door slam. Booth cursed under his breath. He knew Brennan had to be approaching, wondering what was wrong. He had to warn her somehow.
"Is everything okay Booth?" He heard her concerned voice. Booth spun round, quickly urging her back to the relative safety of their car.
"Yeah, we're just talking. Why don't you go back to the car Bones?"
Before she could reply, the two rear doors of the van swung open and another man with a baseball cap pulled low over his face, jumped out. The man held up a gun, then quickly grabbed Brennan's upper arm, pulling her towards him. He pressed the gun into Brennan's back.
"Whoa, okay, easy there." Booth held up his arms, palms up in surrender. "Whatever it is you want, it has nothing to do with her. Just leave her alone okay? It's me you want, right?"
The man who had just jumped out of the van shook his head. "Actually Agent Booth, it's the both of you we want."
The man had revealed knowledge of who they were. To Booth, the stakes just got higher. It told him that they had been targeted.
"What do you want us for?" Brennan asked, her voice calm.
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Just leave Dr Brennan out of it." Booth tried again to plead for her release.
"I'm afraid we can't do that. I can assure you, if you do as we say, Dr Brennan won't get hurt." The man flicked his eyes toward the other man, the one who had been disguised as an old man.
"Remember Agent Booth, we have a gun to your wife's back. I assure you, if you try anything, she will die, infront of your eyes."
Booth nodded, indicating he would cooperate.
"Open your mouth," the man who had been standing behind Booth spoke.
Booth complied, quickly looking into Brennan's eyes. "It's gonna be okay Bones."
No sooner did he finish his sentence, than Both felt a rag at his mouth. He knew what was coming. He had been a prisoner of war before. Now so many years later, he didn't expect this to happen on home soil.
Brennan nodded, trying to reassure Booth too. She watched as Booth bit down onto the rag. The man pulled the rag tight behind Booth's head, tying it securely, effectively preventing him from making a sound. He then pulled Booth's arms behind his back, using zip ties to secure his wrists behind his back.
They were clearly intent on kidnapping them, Brennan concluded. Her eyes darted to their surroundings. It was a quiet street, but she hoped someone, a car, anyone would pass by.
"Move." The man shoved Booth forward.
She watched as the man who still had Booth at gunpoint marched him to the back the van. Booth climbed in. She watched in horror as the man brought the gun in his hand swiftly and forcefully onto the back of Booth's head.
"Booth!" She cried out reflexively. She felt the man behind her push the gun forcefully into her back.
"Quiet!"
She watched as Booth fell onto his side, in the back of the van, unconscious.
"Your turn Dr Brennan," the man behind her spoke. "Try anything funny and we kill him."
"I'll do as you say."
"Good."
Everything felt surreal. Brennan felt as if she was watching her own kidnapping as the man who had gagged and tied Booth repeated the same to her. As she climbed into the back of the van alongside Booth, she braced herself for a blow to her head, but it never came. Instead a sack was thrown over her head and she was commanded to lie down.
The heard the doors of the van slam shut as she lay down. She then heard the two men climb into the front seat. The engine roared to life and the van sped off, making a sharp right, causing her to roll into Booth's unconscious body.
His lack of reaction worried her and she hoped he had sustained nothing more than a minor concussion. She hoped someone would realized they were missing soon. For now she could only guess as to the reason for their kidnapping. She drew comfort in the fact that her children were safe with friends.