Hi guys thanks to those who reviewed the Brennan/Booth diaries and for those who followed the story. After re-reading it I decided that it just wasn't a very good story [some of you who were following it and liked it might not agree with me] but I decided not to continue it, even though I knew that there for three more chapters planned and that I hadn't tied up all the loose ends. If I was the reader I would want to know how Booth was doing. How Angela's doing and whether Brennan and Booth's relationship can get back on track. This is a three shot. If I had continued the Brennan/Booth diaries chapter 1 would have been the equivalent of episode 9 of season 6. I wanted to do a chapter that would make Brennan think, a chapter where she would see the mistakes she made last year. Booths history hasn't been covered on the TV show very much at all. And I think it should be. Chapter 3 will be devoted to tying up the loose ends on the Brennan/Booth diaries. After all Angela ended up in the hospital during chapter 1 and 2 of the Brennan/Booth diaries.
DISCLAIMER. I DONT OWN ANYTHING.
Mirror mirror what do you see? Lies.
Setting: A month after The Brennan/Booth diaries.
Brennan stood in front of the small bedroom. She glanced at the teenaged girl in sympathy. Her grandpa was holding her tightly and running his hands through her hair comfortingly. She glanced down again at the woman laying on the floor, and the shards of mirror broken over her body. She glanced at the cuts made from the mirror, trying to figure out exactly what the weapon of choice was. Booth walked into the room and glanced at Brennan with a small smile. Brennan wanted to run over and hug him but she knew that that would have to wait. They needed to be professional about this and do their jobs. Telling Booth how glad she was to have him back could wait. She had really missed him while he was away in gamblers rehab getting better. She hadnt heard from him in a month and she was anxious to work with him again. She just hadnt worked well with any of the fill in partners. The only FBI agent she wanted to work with was Booth. She had to admit to herself that he was the only FBI agent she really liked. Even though the last few months with him hadnt exactly been easy.
She nodded at Booth.
'You might aswell have the body and all the pieces of glass moved to the Jeffersonian. There's too much glass and too many cuts. I cant tell how she died. The glass and the cuts are preventing me from being able to tell anything. '
'Sure, Bones. Boy am i glad to be back. Murder.. Mayhem. Chaos. Exactly what i need now that i'm back.'
'I'll see you later at the Jeffersonian Bones? I'll talk to the witnesses.'
She nodded to him. And then walked out of the room to allow the rest of the FBI Agents to do their work.
AT THE LAB.
Wendell Bray is standing by Brennans side looking down at the body.
'Now that the glass has been removed by Hodgins we can see that the weapon of choice was something with a glass edge. And it was not the mirror. It was a blunt object, round in shape. She fell back into the dressing table and the mirror shattered on top of her and cut her skin. However she was already dead before that though.' Said Wendell.
'Her drug results came back. She had a lot of anti-depressants in her system. Was their any depression in her family?' Cam asked looking at Brennan.
'Booth is questioning them now.' said Brennan.
'Booth has already questioned them. Said Booth walking into the lab. Yes. Her father Frank Ovlam was telling me that she was depressed. She's suffered from manic depression since she was a teenager. But she was put on anti-depressants a few months after the birth of Miley. She tried to drown Miley in the bathtub. Says that she kept on having visions of Miley falling into the bathtub and she just snapped one day, just couldnt handle having a baby.'
'Post partum depression. People who suffer from depression are already more susceptible to other forms of depression, especially post-partum. Particularly after the birth of a baby.' Said Brennan.
'Have you spoken with the husband? Is he a likely suspect?' Asked Brennan of Booth.
'He's been away on a business trip. So i havent spoken to him yet. But as soon as he heard that his wife Harley had been murdered he stepped on a plane at once. In all likelihood he isnt a suspect. How long has Harley been dead?' asked Booth.
'A little over 48hrs. Said Hodgins. I checked these little shards that werent pieces of mirror. They're little bits of a lightbulb. The murder weapon was a lamp. Whoever the killer was and he was very strong, in a fit of rage he grabbed the lamp, smashed it over her head, she fell back and smashed her back on the dressing table the mirror smashed on top of her.'
'Well it wasnt her husband. He was away in Virginia for a conference. He's a journalist. Miley was spending the last few days at her grandpa's place, Harley was very tired and needed a bit of a break.' Said Booth.
'Parker has a play at school. I havent seen Parker in so long. Rebecca's been a little bit hesitant to let me spend time with him at the moment. She doesnt want me to hurt him. I'd like to go there and apologise to him. Did you want to come Bones?'
Brennan smiled and said she'd join him.
Brennan and Booth both smiled as Parker picked up the guitar and strummed out the last of the chords of the song he was playing, turned to the audience and said 'The end.' The audience clapped and the children took a bow as the curtain went down.
Brennan glanced at Booth as he sat on a stool at the diner. He was looking down at his coffee, he winced as he took a careful sip. The coffee was still too hot. Booth had wanted Parker to join both him and Brennan at the diner but Rebecca was being very cautious not to allow Booth to spend too much time with Parker for a while. Brennan frowned a little as she thought about the case.
'Booth. You said that Harley tried to drown Miley in the bathtub, how did Jordan Muffler react after that?'
'He moved in an apartment next door after that. He said that he took on more than his fair share of the work. Said that he almost enabled her to go on and let the depression take over. But Miley is very close to her dad. And her grandpa. Said that Harley had a hard time trusting anybody after her mother just disappeared, wouldnt let anybody get close to her...'
Brennan looked down for a minute. 'What happened to her mother?'
'Jordan didnt really know. Harley told him only that she disappeared when she was thirteen. Actually, she went into a angry rage and said that her mother had decided to leave her.' said Booth.
Brennan took a sip of her tea. 'Maybe we need to talk to Frank again. Ask him what happened with Mrs. Ovlam. It might be a good idea to talk to Miley aswell.'
Mr Ovlam glanced at Miley as she sat on the couch.
'Uh uh. Dont move too much grandpa. I'm trying to draw you. Try and stay still if you can.' She said as she looked up and then down, as she sketched out his face. She glanced at Booth and Brennan as Jordan led them into the lounge room of his apartment.
'Wow. You're a very good artist Miley. Thats a nice drawing.' said Brennan.
'Thank you.' said Miley.
'Miley, Said Jordan. Brennan and Booth would like to ask you some questions about your mother.'
'My mum had depression. She wasnt very nice to daddy.'
'Why would you say that Sweetie? Your mummy loved you, as much as she knew how.' said Jordan.
'It was like she was always angry at him.' continued Miley.
'At your dad?' asked Booth.
Miley nodded. 'Sometimes in the middle of the night i'd get up for a glass of milk and i'd see her sittting in her room. Staring at herself in the mirror. It was like she hated herself. She would often tell me not to let myself get too close to anyone because they just let you down. They just disappoint you. She would tell me that my dad would disappoint me one day. Let me down. But he never did. My dad's a good man. He has always been there for me. And daddy was always nice to mummy. Im sure there are a lot of men out there who disappoint you, but my dad has always loved me, treated me nicely, always been here for me, why should i punish him for all the people who have let me down? I'm angry at the person who killed my mum. She might have been depressed, she didnt spend a lot of time with me, but she was still my mum.'
'Thank you, Miley. We're going to find out who killed your mum. Bones and i are very good at our jobs and i promise you, we are going to find that person. I just want to remind you, that you're mum did love you and if she was always angry that wasnt your fault. That was the depression. You couldnt have done anything to change that. Okay?' Said Booth.
Miley looked at Booth for a few seconds then hugged him. Before setting down the sketch and going into her room with her dad following close behind her.
Brennnan wiped the tears out of her eyes, but then she sat down in Miley's place and turned to Mr Ovlam. 'What happened to Mrs Ovlam? You told your daughter that her mother had left her but that didnt happen did it? We found a death certificate for a Mrs. Miranda Shiller, aka Mrs Miranda Ovlam. She died five years ago in a mental health facility.'
Mr Ovlam. Sat back in the chair as if his strength had failed him. He was silent for a minute. Yes. I lied to my daughter. I thought it would be easier to tell her that her mother had left then to tell her the truth. Post partum depression is hereditary. When Harley was born Miranda started acting really strange. She would often threaten to kill Harley. I didnt take her seriously until i found her trying to drown Harley in the bathtub when she was two months old. Just like Harley did with Miley. I wanted to protect her. I thought that if i told her she'd left it'd be easier on her but it wasnt. She blamed herself for her mother being gone. She thought it was her fault. I thought it'd hurt her less, but i think it just hurt her more. I loved her. She had one parent in her life that gave her the best of everything, but all she could concentrate on was the fact that her mother wasnt there. She never seemed to forget that her mother wasnt there. She had a friend Brody. He always tried to give her advice. He'd often get really frustrated with her for pushing Jordan away. Jordan was so good to my daughter, he was the best boyfriend i could ever hope for my daughter...'
Booth looked at him sharply. Brennan looked at Booth.
'Where's Brody now?' asked Brennan.
'At his home. Its a few blocks from here.' said Mr Ovlam looking at Booth. Wait a minute you dont think he killed my daughter do you?...'
Brennan knocked on Brody's door before Booth could. They were always doing that. Trying to one up the other as if it was a competition between them..
'Stand behind me Bones. I'm the one with a gun...'
'Dont be rediculous Booth. I hardly think we're getting into a dangerous situation. Mr Ovlam said that Brody could never hurt a fly.'
'No. He never hurt a fly. But he murdered Harley Ovlam. A human person and thats worse than killing a fly.' said Booth.
'You dont know he killed her. Dont make assumptions Booth...'
Before they could continue on with their argument the door was opened by a short blonde haired man. He looked at Booth and Brennan for a few seconds and sighed. 'I've been expecting you. You're here about Harley arent you? He walked out the door. Arrest me. I'm the one who killed Harley Ovlam. I killed my best friend.
IN THE INTEROGATION ROOM.
Brody was sitting down with tears running down his face.
'I loved her. I really did. But she was screwed up. She could never understand that we all loved her. She always felt that she didnt deserve to be loved. And you want to know why? Because her mother had left. She could never see that she had a lot of people in her life who loved her. She wouldnt allow people to love her; I came over one day and i heard her telling Miley not to get too close to people because in the end they'll always let you down. I couldnt have Miley grow up with a mother who couldnt teach her how to love people. To trust. I was trying to protect Miley
'She was right to be afraid. Said Brennan angrily but in a voice that was in control. She loved you. Maybe it wasnt in the way that you wanted her to. But she loved you and you let her down...'
'You sound a lot like her. I might have physically killed her, but she was already dead. People who cant love are already three fourths dead...' said Brody.
Brennan looked out the window; she was feeling a little bit nauseous and sick. Booth looked at her. He knew how much this case had affected her. And he understood enough to realise why.
Brennan turned to him. 'Do you think Brody's right Booth. Do you think I'm just like Harley?'
'Someone who cant love Bones? Trust people? He thought for a few seconds. You have no problem loving people Bones. Your dad. Mother. Angela. You know how to trust people Bones. You just dont allow yourself to trust them completely...'
'So i am like her. You think i'm a little bit like her...'
Brennan sat in the car for a few seconds. But she felt almost like she couldnt breathe. She opened the window a little bit, but it didnt do a bit of good. She needed to get out. She told Booth to stop the car. And she immediately got out. He had stopped at the beach. Brennan got out, took her shoes off and started walking towards the water in her bare feet. The cool night air calmed her down. She took deep breaths and she immediately felt better. Booth watched her walking towards the water and decided to give her a little bit of spaces. He sat in the car for a few minutes and he got out after a while. The car was stuffy and confined. He decided to get out and join Bones near the water. He walked towards her. And smiled as he breathed in the cool night air and smelled the freshness of the water. He jumped as the water sprayed him a little, but it felt nice on his flushed skin... Brennan stared at the water and the star filled sky for a few seconds and then she turned to Booth who was standing beside her.
'I cant get what Miley said out of my mind. About not punishing her dad for the people who have let her down. So naive...' said Brennan.
'Maybe. She's young Bones. But she's right. There are a lot of good men and women out there who wont let you down; it isnt fair to punish everyone for the mistakes of a few people..'
'I guess i dont give you enough credit for that. For being a good person. For always being there when i need you...'
'I'm your partner Bones. I always will be.' he said as he moved a lock of her hair out of her eyes.
She looked at him for a few seconds a little tearfully. She wanted to kiss him. She stepped towards him as if she was almost in a trance but the phone rang. She looked into his eyes as she went to answer it, even though every fibre of her being just wanted to ignore it.
She listened for a few seconds and sighed. She was tired but they had to go to another crime scene. They got into the car and Booth looked at her for a few seconds. He glanced down at the envelope with the money that he owed Brennan. He breathed in as he remembered that he'd stolen money from his partner to feed his gambling addiction. He handed her the envelope and she looked at him for a few seconds. She looked at the money in there but didnt say anything. Some things were better left unmentioned.
After the firefighters had put out the blaze Booth and the firefighters signalled to Brennan that it was safe to go into the house. She put protective glasses and a mask over her face to protect her eyes and nose from the heavy clouds of smoke and ashes. She walked over towards the scorched body and did a cursory examination and then told the FBI that was waiting in the wings to get the body to the Jeffersonian and Hodgins to get particulates from the body and the room. She watched Booth questioning the witness about the person who had lived in this house. She looked at the grim expression on his face as he asked a question. Brennan glanced at a box of photos that was partly ruined by the fire. Then she glanced down at a photo that was hardly burned at all and frowned. It was a picture of a delicate pretty woman. But thats not what made her heart skip a beat. It was the man standing next to the blonde woman. A dark haired man with dark eyes. An older version of Booth. With a sinking feeling she realised that the man in the photo was Booths dad. She remembered the conversation she had with pop about Booths dad. And she felt a sense of guilt for not having told Booth about it yet.
She heard footsteps behind her and immediately hid the photo under the other photos guiltily. She turned to look at Booth who asked her if she was ready to go.
'So what was the neighbour telling you about the owners of the house that made you angry Booth?' Brennan asked as she put her seatbelt on and settled back in the carseat.
'I wasnt angry Bones. I was just a little bit impatient. The neighbour kept on telling me that she lived here for the last ten years and she couldnt tell me anything much. Other than the fact that the woman was seeing two men. As far as i can tell it was basically rumours and secrets. She never saw who this mystery man was. Secrets and lies Bones. When multiple secrets and lies are involved good luck uncovering the truth. Secrets destroy lives. I'm really glad that you and i dont have secrets from each other.' Said Booth. And Brennan gulped a little bit. She squirmed in her seat. She knew that the time had come. How can i keep this a secret from him? His dad is obviously involved in the case and Booth has a right to know. She waited until Booth parked the car in front of the lab. And then she took out the photos she'd found. She handed the photo of the woman and man to Booth. Booth took it and looked at the photo, turning a little pale when he recognised the man standing next to the woman.
'Booth. There's something i need to tell you. Its about your dad.'
