(After the Lance to the Heart)
This story idea came from JAG'ed Bones in the Casckett. I hope this is what you wanted.
I don't own Bones.
Ooooooooooooooooooo
He hadn't really wanted to do an interview with the press, but Caroline talked him into it. The FBI and the Justice Department were taking hits, very bad hits and it all stemmed from the way Agent Seeley Booth had been set up and sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. The press hadn't seemed to care about the story all that much when he was released from prison until Glen Durant and his treasonous organization had been unmasked. The fact that Booth and his team at the Jeffersonian had uncovered a plot by Durant to control the government through the blackmail of people in political office and in law enforcement drove the press into a frenzy.
Booth's story was riveting and the public wanted answers. The FBI and the Justice Department had been as straightforward as possible about the situation, but somethings had to remain secret for national security reasons. The citizens of the United States knew that something big had happened and they couldn't miss the fact that several high-ranking congressmen, senators, judges and various members of the FBI, the Justice Department, the NSA and Homeland Security were being impeached, fired or dismissed and that many of these people were sitting in jail awaiting trials for treason, malfeasance of office and in some cases, murder and accessory to murder. There were many more charges pending against these treasonous officials, but the list was long and these were the highlights. The fact that there were also people now being arrested in other cities, for crimes against the United States meant this story wasn't going to go away anytime soon.
As it was, Booth was the public face of what had happened. Though he was but one man who had helped uncover the greatest threat to the country since probably World War II, the FBI Agent's story was the one that everyone was interested in. While he had been investigating a murder he and his team at the Jeffersonian had stumbled upon something much more nefarious. Durant had thought he could stop the investigation by having some of his men attack Booth in his own home. When that didn't work, he arranged to make it look like Booth had committed murder of the men who had attacked him and his wife had come under suspicion at the same time.
Unfortunately for Durant, Dr. Temperance Brennan, Dr. Cam Saroyan, Dr. Jack Hodgins and Angela Montenegro hadn't been intimidated into silence. If anything, they worked harder to free Booth and to get to the bottom of what was going on. Dr. Lance Sweets who was trying to help with the investigation had been murdered and that had helped to make the story erupt in to the public eye.
Impatient with the reporters shortly after they had started the interview, Booth leaned back against the couch in the television studio and glared at Brenda Cummings and Dan Knight. "Quit calling everyone that helped me 'The Team at the Jeffersonian'. They have names, use them for God's sake. I was part of the team. I didn't solve this thing by myself. I had the help of Dr. Temperance Brennan. She's the best anthropologist in the country if not the world. She was the one who first suspected something was going on not me. She worked long hours on a murder case and with the help of Dr. Cam Saroyan, Dr. Jack Hodgins, Ms. Angela Montenegro and Ms. Caroline Julian they were able to put the pieces together and figured out what was going on."
Dan Knight knew that Booth didn't want to be there, so he tried not to irritate him. They wanted his story and if he walked out they would never get it. On the other hand, they had questions that they thought their audience might be interested in. "Yes of course. Could you tell me about Dr. Brennan? I understand she's brilliant, but she does have a reputation as someone hard to work with."
"My wife is not hard to work with." Booth glared at the reporter and debated with himself whether or not he should just leave. "She's brilliant, a genius and she only works with the best. She doesn't tolerate foolishness or laziness. That's why she's so good in her field. She teaches classes at the University and she has a list a mile long of anthropology students who want to train with her. I don't know where you got your information, but everyone that works with Dr. Brennan wants to work with her. They know how brilliant she is and who wouldn't want to work with someone like that? She was the key to uncovering the treason going on by Durant. Without her Durant would still be in business."
Knight knew that he was about to lose Booth, so he thought he'd better be careful with the next question. Before he could ask his next question, Brenda Cummings asked a question that turned out to be mistake. "Dr. Saroyan used to be your lover in college. What's it like to work with her while also working with your wife? Dr. Brennan works for Dr. Saroyan, how do they get along?"
Calmly, Booth stood up, straightened his tie and shook his head. "You people aren't interested in what happened to me and my team. You just want a salacious story well screw you and the horse you rode in on." Marching across the room, Booth was met by Caroline who had been listening to the questions he was being asked. "Cher . . . I . . ."
Booth held up his hand. "You want me to do an interview find me a reporter that isn't full of shit." With that, the Agent walked away leaving a furious Caroline behind. She wasn't angry at Booth, but at the reporters. Moving swiftly over to where the two reporters were arguing, Caroline interrupted them. "I warned you to not ask personal questions, but no, you had to do what you wanted to do. Seeley Booth will not talk to you again no matter how much you two try. I will be calling your producers in a few minutes . . . You had the opportunity to interview a real national hero and you wanted to treat him like he was Kim Kardashian . . . sad, very sad and a big mistake."
They protested that their readers were interested in everything about Seeley Booth and the people that worked with him, but Caroline wasn't interested. "You don't know who you're dealing with that's obvious." With that scathing retort. She turned on her heels and stalked away.
Ooooooooooooooooooo
Caroline found Booth in his office. Just to make sure their conversation wasn't overheard in the bullpen, she closed the door behind her and walked over to Booth's desk. "Listen Cher' . . ."
Booth quickly held up his hand to stop her. "You know I hate to stand in front of the press as it is. I do it because it's part of my job, but when they try to turn my life into a soap opera then that shit stops right there. I'm not doing any more personal interviews. Not one and you can't make me. Yes, when we're working cases that require me to talk to the press I will, but it will be about whatever case I'm working on. I will not answer personal questions. Not one. They tried to make Bones look awful and as for Cam and me, that was a step way too far."
She knew that Booth was furious and an angry Booth wasn't good in the grand scheme of things. He was a bear when he was in a good mood. "Listen Cher', I get it. I do. What if I arrange for a newspaper reporter from the New York Times or the Washington Post to talk to you. I'll set down the rules and we'll go from there."
"I have a better idea." Booth calmly leaned back against his chair. "I'm going to write a letter to the editor to both of those papers. They can publish them or not. It's up to them, but I will not do an interview. I'm not going to be used for entertainment."
"I see." Caroline stared at Booth for a few seconds. "I'll run it by the Director and my Boss and see what they have to say . . . They'll probably be fine with it, at least for now."
Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Take it or leave it. I'm not doing any more personal interviews. I will not let them turn the FBI and the Justice department into a circus. We all deserve more respect than that especially what we went through with Durant."
Since he was digging in his heels, Caroline knew she'd have to take what he was offering. It wasn't like they could fire him for not giving a personal interview. The FBI and Justice department were in Booth's pocket and he knew it. "Okay, I get it . . . Will you let me see the letter to the editor before you send it."
"Sure, but you don't get to change one word." Booth had had enough of being used.
"Fair enough." Caroline smiled at her favorite FBI Agent. "I just need a heads up that's all."
He knew what she was worried about and decided to ease her mind. "Don't worry Cher'. I'm not going to sell the FBI and the Justice Department down the river. I'll play nice."
Relieved, Caroline walked over to the door and paused. "I did tell them not to ask you personal questions like that. I told them to make sure their questions had to do with Durant and nothing else. Of course they didn't listen to me."
"Yeah, I figured. Don't worry about it. I'll write the letter today and send it off. I'll CC you to make sure you get a copy."
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Let me know if this interesting. The letter to the editor is next.