The Jeffersonian, Dr. Camille Saroyan's Office

[argyle_princess]

Hannah knows something is up.

Well, duh. Obviously. Escaped serial killer and all. But there’s something more to it than that, she thinks.

Dr. Sayoran had pulled her out of the lab, away from a cheerful, laughing conversation about a newspaper article, about two hours after Dr. Brennan left with Agent Booth. “Sorry,” Dr. Sayoran said, after she’d explained a little about Howard Epps and his escape. “I’m going to need everyone pretty focused right now.”

Hannah had nodded, yawning. (One of the workers renovating the apartment next to Dr. Brennan’s left his radio on last night, and it turns out hip hop is not exactly conducive to sleep.) “It’s okay. I mean, it’s more important and all. And I have a ton of stuff to read.”

Dr. Sayoran left her in the lounge. Two hours later, Dr. Sayoran asks her to gather up her stuff. “I’m going to have you relocate to my office for a bit.”

“Your office? Won’t I be in the way?”

“Not really. And we need the lounge for a bit. Just make yourself comfortable, and if you need anything, ask.”

Hannah’s pretty sure the person she’s supposed to ask if she needs anything is the security guard in the chair outside Dr. Sayoran’s office. She’s also pretty sure that neither the guard nor the chair was there yesterday.

She looks at the next marked article she’s supposed to read, and then closes the journal. “Screw it,” she mutters, and pulls out her laptop.

Fifteen minutes later, she’s skimmed the first four items that Google brings up on Howard Epps.

Something is definitely up.

Comments

[dr_temperance]

Brennan, nodding a greeting to the security guard, finds Hannah in Cam's office, right where Angela said she'd be. She feels an irrational wash of relief.

Nothing can happen to Hannah inside the Jeffersonian.

Hannah looks very intent on what she's working on. Brennan knocks lightly on the doorframe, not wishing to startle her.

"Hannah? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

[argyle_princess]

Hannah looks up from the computer.

"About the creepy serial killer?"

[dr_temperance]

Brennan comes in and takes a seat.

"Yeah. About the creepy serial killer," she says.

"How much did Cam fill you in on?"

[argyle_princess]

"Howard Epps. Serial killer. Escaped. Not dead. Someone you'd worked on the case of. Not much else.

"There's a lot more on Google, though."

Hannah turns the laptop so Brennan can see the screen.

"Teenaged blondes, huh?"

She's trying very hard to be composed and casual about this. She's close to pulling it off.

[dr_temperance]

Brennan sighs and gives Hannah a look that pretty much says, Why am I not surprised?

She can tell that Hannah is scared. And she wishes that she didn't have to exacerbate that, but scary information is better and more useful than spotty information, or no information at all.

"Howard Epps has, that we know of to date, murdered or has been linked to the murders of six teenage girls," she says, matter-of-factly. "He also killed a firefighter in the course of his escape last night."

Her jaw clenches, betraying some tension. "And he made contact with us a short time ago. A phone call."

[argyle_princess]

Because Hannah is bright and curious? And would much prefer to have scary information than none at all.

She's also confused, now.

"He called you? Why? Shouldn't he be off vanishing into a new and equally creepy identity?"

[dr_temperance]

"Epps likes to play games."

And he really likes to play them with Brennan.

"He's intelligent, and feels the need to prove it by attempting to outwit us. Ultimately, it will make him much easier to catch than if he did the rational thing and simply disappeared. And we will catch him."

There's a big 'But' coming here.

"He knows about you, Hannah," Brennan says bluntly. "He saw you walking into work with me this morning. Which means until he is caught, you are not leaving the Jeffersonian."

[argyle_princess]

Hannah blinks.

"So he's appointed himself your arch-nemesis? And he knows about me? I guess that explains the security guard.

"So I'm . . . staying here?"

It's kind of an odd place to keep her.

Isn't it?

[dr_temperance]

"That's......actually not a bad way of putting it," Brennan replies. Appointing himself her arch-nemesis was essentially what Epps had done.

"There's something of a personal history between me an Epps--at least as far as he's concerned."

Brennan nods. "Security at the Jeffersonian has been heightened. You'll be safe here. If Epps is determined to play his usual games, it shouldn't take the authorities long to recapture him."

[argyle_princess]

Hannah nods. "Okay."

She'll assume Brennan knows best about this sort of thing.

"So you're gonna go all Holmes on his Moriarty. Is there anything I can do to help? From safely within the Jeffersonian?"

It's not comfortable, being threatened by a serial killer. Doing something is better than doing nothing.

[dr_temperance]

Brennan is relieved. Not that she really thought that Hannah would object or lose her head, but she's glad that she's staying calm and rational.

She shakes her head regretfully. "We're all going to be very focused on this for the duration. We mainly just need you to sit tight."

Brennan smiles sympathetically. "Which is difficult, I know."

[argyle_princess]

Hannah shrugs, and Brennan may recognize the gesture. "I understand. I mean, psycho killer has kinda gotta be the priority.

"Do I have to stay in this room?"

Does she have to take her security guard to the ladies room with her? 'cause awkward.

[dr_temperance]

Brennan smiles a little.

"No, but I'd like you to stay around the lab. There are plenty of guards, not to mention Angela, Cam, and the others. Stick close to someone."

Not that Epps can get into the Jeffersonian--not now. But Brennan will worry a lot less if she knows that Hannah will not be left alone.

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth is Not Happy when he sees the teenager in the office instead of the administrator he was expecting.

"Where's Cam?" he asks, hands on hips. Then he pauses, looks at Hannah for a long moment and says, "Please tell me they're sending you home."

California's almost far enough away for him to feel OK about sending Hannah there.

[argyle_princess]

"She's not here."

Obvious, but that's kind of all Hannah knows about Dr. Saroyan's current whereabouts.

"Sunday. As planned."

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth's eyes narrow, and it's clear he's working up to a good looming.

"Not sooner?"

[argyle_princess]

"Dr. Brennan's keeping me here. Like in this building here. Not in DC here. But in the Jeffersonian here.

"So I'm clear, this is about the creepy escaped serial killer who likes to match wits with Dr. Brennan and kill people like me, right?"

Where "this" = the looming.

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth nods, and relaxes the loom a little bit. It was really more about making him feel better than intimidating Hannah, anyway. A little looming really relieves a man's feelings at times like this.

"It is," he confirms. "And I'm glad Bones has already gotten this taken care of. It's the best of all possible solutions. Even better than sending you home. I mean, the guy doesn't have superpowers or anything, but there's no guarantee that he won't figure out a way to find you even if we sent you home."

[argyle_princess]

"That was kinda reassuring till you got to that last part.

"You're not gonna drag me off and stash me in the FBI building or something?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth grins. "Naw, I really think you'll be safe here. You don't think I'd leave Bones and the rest of the gang unprotected, right?"

As an afterthought, he adds, "Of course, if we could get Bones to stay here, too..."

The trailing off is due to the utter impossibility of this ever happening.

[argyle_princess]

"Yeah, I'm not loving your chances on that, Agent Booth," Hannah says.

"Safe as houses here, right?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Yeah, I know. It's a good thing I'm not a gambler."

Anymore.

His brow wrinkles. "Since when were you British?"

[argyle_princess]

Hannah blinks.

"British?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Safe as houses is not something most American teenagers say," Booth explains. "I mean, I could be wrong, and it could be the cool new catchphrase, since I haven't been a teenager in a long time, but...yeah. Never was big slang in my teen years."

[argyle_princess]

Hannah shrugs. "I guess I picked it up somewhere."

A slight smile.

"British is what I accuse my boyfriend of being when he gets all formal."

Which, let's face it, is most of the time.