Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: This story demanded to be written. My muse is so bossy. Just a little peek into how I imagined a first meeting between Russ and Max. Tags for The Woman in Limbo, and Judas on the Pole. I took a little creative license with Russ' relationship with Amy. In the Titan on the Tracks, Brennan had clearly been to visit Russ, and Russ was with Amy in TWIL and JOTP, but in the Knight on the Grid, she didn't seem to recognize Amy at her door. I just wanted to stay in canon. I hope I did. Any comments would be lovely.

He Calls Her Bones

Russ was jerked out of a deep sleep by the ringing of a telephone. Amy, asleep beside him, grunted and rolled over. So it was up to Russ to reach over her still sleeping body and pick up the phone.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Son, you are in danger." Russ was suddenly wide awake. The last time he had heard this voice was on his sister's answering machine, and before that he had been nineteen and stupid.

"Dad, what the hell? How did you even get this number? I haven't seen or heard from you in fifteen years and you call me at..." Russ glanced at the alarm clock next to the phone, "3:07 in the morning at my girlfriend's house? You know you could of called me at my place after they found Mom. Or when normal people are awake."

"Russ, be quiet and listen to me. I wouldn't call if it wasn't important, but we can't talk over the phone. Meet me at Martin's Pub on 8th in 12 hours."

"I have a job, I can't just walk out on them."

"Call in sick or better yet, quit. They are shady people anyway. I don't want you to slip. Say you'll meet me at Martin's at three today."

"Fine, fine. You gonna call Tempe too?"

But there was no answer from the other line, just a firm click.

Russ walked into Martin's on time, but annoyed. Martin's smelled like stale tobacco on good days, and today was not a good day. Russ stepped on peanut shells and his shoes stuck lightly to the floor as he glanced around the bar. Russ was positive that this was not the first clandestine meeting that had taken place at Martin's Pub. Russ tried to find his father, trying to remember the face of a man that he hadn't seen or heard from directly in fifteen years.

There were two men sitting on bar stools, loud and drunk. There was a group playing pool, louder and drunker. Finally, Russ noticed a lone man sitting in one of the high backed booths. Russ couldn't recognize him by name, but there was something familiar about him. Like they had met once a long time ago. The stranger in the booth looked up, met Russ' gaze and signaled him with the wag of a single finger and calling out a single word, "Marco." And instantly, Russ knew the man.

"Dad?"

Max Keenan smiled.

"Hello, son. It's been awhile." Russ nodded. It was nothing if not the truth. Russ slid into the booth across from his father, demanding explanation.

"What did you do to yourself?"

Max grinned and shrugged. "A bit of plastic surgery took care of the little stuff, and life took care of the rest."

Max handed Russ a dusty bottle of some beer and took a sip from his own glass. Russ took in the changes, cataloging both the subtle and the obvious differences in his father's face. The body had also changed in fifteen years, and Russ knew that even his voice had changed slightly, how Russ wasn't exactly sure. Russ picked at the label of his beer as a took a few tentative sips. It was a crappy beer, but at least it was still cold.

"What do you want, Dad?"

Max spoke softly, but with authority. "I want you and Tempe to be safe. And right now, you aren't. Russ, can't you feel it on the back of your neck? You are being followed, targeted. And it was time for me to come out of hiding and warn you and Tempe."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I'm sure Tempe told you about McVicar and about your mother, but it's only half the story. And I'm worried that Tempe isn't going to stop until she knows the rest."

"Yeah, she's stubborn." Max and Russ both pondered that statement. They each took a few gulps of their drinks, Max trying to catch Russ' eye and Russ actively trying to avoid the gaze. Max spoke again, his voice even softer than it had been before.

"How is she doing? Really?"

"You could pick up a phone and ask her."

"Cause she always picked up the phone when you called her."

"Low blow, Dad. Wait, how do you know about her birthday calls?"

"I have my ways. I've kept my eye on the two of you. Tempe hasn't made it easy on me, working for the government like she does."

"She spends all her time with an agent with the FBI, he's kind of trained to find guys like us, must make you nervous."

"Yeah, this Booth guy. Tell me about him."

"He's a good guy, Dad. He treated me decent with all the stuff with Mom. Doesn't hold it against me that I'm a parolee. Best thing about him though, he made Tempe talk to me. I think it's because of him that she came down to see me last summer."

"She came to see you?"

"Yeah, it was a good time, got to know each other again. But, it was 'Booth says' this and 'Booth says' that the entire time she was here."
Max chuckled. He'd seen them together once or twice, always well hidden in the background. There was something there. Something that made him think of his Ruthie and how he felt about her.

"How long have they been together?" Russ choked on his beer.

"No, they aren't dating, Dad."

"She dedicated her book to him. I thought partner was a euphemism."

"It isn't." Max looked pensive, and then tried to lighten the mood.

"Not yet, anyway."

Russ drained the rest of his beer, trying to phrase his thoughts delicately. Tempe had opened up to him a little bit during her visit, and he was reluctant to break her confidences. "Dad, leave it alone. Tempe had it rough, we abandoned her. She has a hard time letting anyone in. But she is letting him in. It's a good thing she has going on. No thanks to us, she has a hard time trusting people."

"Does she trust him? Do you trust him?"

"You know, I actually think Tempe does trust him. And trust me, that should be more than good enough for us." Both men fell silent again, thinking again about the family member that was missing from this meeting... and her partner. Suddenly, Russ let out a snort.

"He calls her Bones, you know." Russ couldn't keep the chuckle out of his voice.

Max responded with a smirk of his own. "And she actually let's him." And both men dissolved into laughter. Later this day there would be plans and schemes to keep the Brennan's safe, and in the near future there would be danger and heartache, but at this moment the two men just enjoyed being a family again.