(Can't Get No) Satisfaction, prompt #36 (crossover: w/"Bones")
Title: (Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Summary: Allison goes to Washington DC to help Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan reach a victim.
Prompt: #36 (crossover)
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Rating: PG
Character(s): Allison, Booth, Brennan, Angela, others
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 964
(Can't Get No) Satisfaction
“Mrs. DuBois, thank you for coming.” The tall, dark-haired man stretched out his hand. “Have you ever been to DC before?”
Allison looked up at him. “Not recently.”
“Well, I assume you’ll find it hasn’t changed much,” he said. “I’m Seeley Booth.”
In the car he said, “My partner, Dr. Brennan, is… well, she was resistant to us bringing you out. She doesn’t really believe in…”
“That’s all right,” Allison assured him. “It’s not for everybody.”
“But her boss, Dr. Saroyan, gave it the okay,” Booth went on. “I mean, it’s been two months since we discovered Mr. Allred’s body, and there have been no leads. And when I spoke to District Attorney Devalos, he said you were the best.”
Allison flushed with the compliment. “Thank you,” she said. “Although I’m not really sure what I can do for you.”
“As long as you’re willing to try,” Booth assured her. “Now, if you’re not too tired, I’m going to take you to the hospital. Dr. Brennan and one of her colleagues will be there.”
“No, I’m fine,” Allison said.
“Good,” Booth said. “We’ve been trying to catch this guy.”
He shook his head in disgust. “I hate people who hurt kids. You have kids?”
“Three,” Allison said. “You?”
“A son.”
Booth turned into the hospital’s driveway. “I don’t always know if I believe in all this spiritual stuff,” he said as he parked. “But I do believe in God, and I do believe in justice. And no matter how we get there, I want to make sure that we do.”
Allison didn’t know what to say. Something in the pit of her stomach wondered if she was able to help Agent Booth find the justice he sought.
He led her through the hospital’s foyer and up three floors to the pediatric intensive care unit. He flashed his badge at a guard standing outside a room, and opened the door for Allison.
Two women stood as she came in. One was holding a sketch pad; the other gave Allison an up-and-down glance.
“I’m Angela Montenegro,” the one with the sketch pad said. She held out her hand.
“Allison DuBois,” Allison said.
“This is Dr. Temperance Brennan,” Booth said.
Allison nodded. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“It was Dr. Saroyan’s idea,” Brennan said. “I don’t believe in psychics.”
“Sweetie,” Angela said under her breath.
“Well, I don’t,” Brennan said. “I believe in science.”
“To be fair, Dr. Brennan, I believe in science, too,” Allison said with a shrug.
“And I believe in results,” Booth said from behind her. “Now, Bones, let’s leave Allison and Angela alone.” To Allison, he said, “We’ll be right outside.”
They left, and the room was quiet, and for the first time Allison saw the girl in the bed. She was no older than thirteen or fourteen, maybe a little younger than Ariel. In the hospital bed she was too tiny, especially with tubes and wires protruding from her body, and the large metal brace screwed into her head.
“She’s beautiful,” Allison said without thinking.
Angela gave her a sad smile. “She is, isn’t she?”
The artist put a photo into Allison’s hand. “This was taken at her birthday party,” Angela said. “Two months ago.”
The girl in the picture was not the girl in the bed. They shared the same face, the pale skin, the red hair, but the girl in the bed was smaller, defeated. In the photo the girl had a huge smile on her face, her hair in two neat braids, her arms flung around two of her friends.
“How does… how does this work?” Angela asked quietly.
Allison smiled sheepishly. “I don’t really know,” she said. “But I’m going to sit here for a little while, and… we’ll see what happens.”
Angela nodded, and sat down in one of the chairs.
Allison took the other, and picked up the girl’s hand. It was limp, without any intent at all. As the monitors beeped and machines whirred around her, Allison closed her eyes.
Flashes of movement came to her almost immediately. Birthday candles, people singing, movement in the room around her. Girls laughing. Someone’s gap-toothed grin. Swinging from a tall tree in the backyard, hair nearly brushing the ground.
Allison heard someone yell - “Abbie!”
Then there was darkness, with the sudden swinging movement of what appeared to be a Coleman lantern. “Abbie?”
A face, suddenly, jerking up out of the darkness, and an arm, a fist attached to it, sudden and swift and pounding.
Then movement, flying through the air, and a crack.
And then stillness.
Allison opened her eyes, and was surprised to see the girl’s eyes open, looking right at her. “Are you… are you Abbie?” Allison asked gently.
She heard a sketch pad hit the floor as Angela sprang from her seat, and a door opened, but Allison didn’t move. She kept her eyes on the girl.
The girl’s brow furrowed, and she blinked her eyes. Then she tried to speak, but her mouth only moved a slight bit. It was enough, though, for Allison to understand what she was saying.
The door banged open, and Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan were there, along with another man in scrubs. Their mouths were all big with questions, but the girl never took her eyes from Allison.
And though Allison suddenly felt the entire weight of the plane trip from Phoenix, and of the pain the girl in the bed had suffered, and the things she’d left undone at home, she also felt the freedom of the future that girl was going to have, once her attacker had been caught, and jailed, as she knew he would be…
… and maybe just a little bit of smug satisfaction as she saw the expression on Dr. Brennan’s face.
Summary: Allison goes to Washington DC to help Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan reach a victim.
Prompt: #36 (crossover)
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Rating: PG
Character(s): Allison, Booth, Brennan, Angela, others
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 964
(Can't Get No) Satisfaction
“Mrs. DuBois, thank you for coming.” The tall, dark-haired man stretched out his hand. “Have you ever been to DC before?”
Allison looked up at him. “Not recently.”
“Well, I assume you’ll find it hasn’t changed much,” he said. “I’m Seeley Booth.”
In the car he said, “My partner, Dr. Brennan, is… well, she was resistant to us bringing you out. She doesn’t really believe in…”
“That’s all right,” Allison assured him. “It’s not for everybody.”
“But her boss, Dr. Saroyan, gave it the okay,” Booth went on. “I mean, it’s been two months since we discovered Mr. Allred’s body, and there have been no leads. And when I spoke to District Attorney Devalos, he said you were the best.”
Allison flushed with the compliment. “Thank you,” she said. “Although I’m not really sure what I can do for you.”
“As long as you’re willing to try,” Booth assured her. “Now, if you’re not too tired, I’m going to take you to the hospital. Dr. Brennan and one of her colleagues will be there.”
“No, I’m fine,” Allison said.
“Good,” Booth said. “We’ve been trying to catch this guy.”
He shook his head in disgust. “I hate people who hurt kids. You have kids?”
“Three,” Allison said. “You?”
“A son.”
Booth turned into the hospital’s driveway. “I don’t always know if I believe in all this spiritual stuff,” he said as he parked. “But I do believe in God, and I do believe in justice. And no matter how we get there, I want to make sure that we do.”
Allison didn’t know what to say. Something in the pit of her stomach wondered if she was able to help Agent Booth find the justice he sought.
He led her through the hospital’s foyer and up three floors to the pediatric intensive care unit. He flashed his badge at a guard standing outside a room, and opened the door for Allison.
Two women stood as she came in. One was holding a sketch pad; the other gave Allison an up-and-down glance.
“I’m Angela Montenegro,” the one with the sketch pad said. She held out her hand.
“Allison DuBois,” Allison said.
“This is Dr. Temperance Brennan,” Booth said.
Allison nodded. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“It was Dr. Saroyan’s idea,” Brennan said. “I don’t believe in psychics.”
“Sweetie,” Angela said under her breath.
“Well, I don’t,” Brennan said. “I believe in science.”
“To be fair, Dr. Brennan, I believe in science, too,” Allison said with a shrug.
“And I believe in results,” Booth said from behind her. “Now, Bones, let’s leave Allison and Angela alone.” To Allison, he said, “We’ll be right outside.”
They left, and the room was quiet, and for the first time Allison saw the girl in the bed. She was no older than thirteen or fourteen, maybe a little younger than Ariel. In the hospital bed she was too tiny, especially with tubes and wires protruding from her body, and the large metal brace screwed into her head.
“She’s beautiful,” Allison said without thinking.
Angela gave her a sad smile. “She is, isn’t she?”
The artist put a photo into Allison’s hand. “This was taken at her birthday party,” Angela said. “Two months ago.”
The girl in the picture was not the girl in the bed. They shared the same face, the pale skin, the red hair, but the girl in the bed was smaller, defeated. In the photo the girl had a huge smile on her face, her hair in two neat braids, her arms flung around two of her friends.
“How does… how does this work?” Angela asked quietly.
Allison smiled sheepishly. “I don’t really know,” she said. “But I’m going to sit here for a little while, and… we’ll see what happens.”
Angela nodded, and sat down in one of the chairs.
Allison took the other, and picked up the girl’s hand. It was limp, without any intent at all. As the monitors beeped and machines whirred around her, Allison closed her eyes.
Flashes of movement came to her almost immediately. Birthday candles, people singing, movement in the room around her. Girls laughing. Someone’s gap-toothed grin. Swinging from a tall tree in the backyard, hair nearly brushing the ground.
Allison heard someone yell - “Abbie!”
Then there was darkness, with the sudden swinging movement of what appeared to be a Coleman lantern. “Abbie?”
A face, suddenly, jerking up out of the darkness, and an arm, a fist attached to it, sudden and swift and pounding.
Then movement, flying through the air, and a crack.
And then stillness.
Allison opened her eyes, and was surprised to see the girl’s eyes open, looking right at her. “Are you… are you Abbie?” Allison asked gently.
She heard a sketch pad hit the floor as Angela sprang from her seat, and a door opened, but Allison didn’t move. She kept her eyes on the girl.
The girl’s brow furrowed, and she blinked her eyes. Then she tried to speak, but her mouth only moved a slight bit. It was enough, though, for Allison to understand what she was saying.
The door banged open, and Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan were there, along with another man in scrubs. Their mouths were all big with questions, but the girl never took her eyes from Allison.
And though Allison suddenly felt the entire weight of the plane trip from Phoenix, and of the pain the girl in the bed had suffered, and the things she’d left undone at home, she also felt the freedom of the future that girl was going to have, once her attacker had been caught, and jailed, as she knew he would be…
… and maybe just a little bit of smug satisfaction as she saw the expression on Dr. Brennan’s face.