Deputy Director Kera DeWinter sat behind her oversized desk reading though the most recent case file, her fingers twisting her long, black, and wavy hair in a repetitive motion. Although she stared at the words on the paper, her mind was elsewhere.

Kera had taken this position six months ago at the request of the president. The Deputy Director's position at the FBI didn't require a presidential appointment but he stepped in this time. A presidential request wasn't exactly something she, or anyone else for that matter, could pass up.

The deputy director's mind drifted back to the years of work that brought her to this office. She joined the officer's program at West Point and worked hard during her four years there. She graduated top of her class and went on to medical school. She again finished at the top of her class and went on to finish her training in cardiothoracic surgery with the military by the time she was 33.

Her medical career seemed like years ago, but in truth, it was only 12 years ago that she had finished her residency. She worked in military hospitals for a couple of years but was soon put in charge of a medivac unit. The rest was history.

She worked her way to the top tier of the army and eventually landed at the pentagon. It was the stepping stone to this position. She wasn't exactly sure why the president had chosen her as deputy director, but most people assumed it was due to her medical background. Increasing use of forensics and science in solving homicides coupled with the increased risk of bioterrorism made having a physician as one of the deputy directors appealing.

The only down time she'd had since she became an officer, doctor and now a director was when she'd taken six months off to be with her twins. She couldn't believe that Peyton and Arianna were going to be six this year. It seemed just like yesterday she was holding them up for their first picture. She was now ashamed to think of what she had allowed Bryan, the father of her children to do to her life and to Peyton and Arianna's. Now, he was battling for full custody of the girls and in view of her present employment, he had charmed the family court judge on the case into scheduling a full custody hearing.

Special Agent Seeley Booth had been standing outside the oak door for more than ten minutes. With each tick of his watch, he became increasingly annoyed. 'To hell with it,' he thought and decided to open the door. He'd take the verbal lashing his long time friend and the ex-captain, who saved more than one of his friends' lives, would give him for entering without permission. It beat standing in the hall for another second.

Walking into the office, he noted her desk was covered end to end with papers and files, "Kera?" He spoke with slight concern. In all the year's he'd served with her in the military, all the paper work was always kept up to date.

Kera wasn't like him when it came to paperwork. Then again, not many people let paper work go until the day before it was due and have to pull all nighters to keep their job. Despite his procrastination, though, he always finished what he started.

Kera was so lost in her own thoughts and concerns that she didn't even hear him walk into the office. She knew that if Bryan took the girls that she would never see them again or if she did see them it would be on Bryan's terms. What good were power and a pay raise when you couldn't share it with your family?

Tears formed on her emerald green eyes as she realized that to keep her children from Bryan she would have to give up a job she loved. She felt so powerless. That feeling confused her because being the Deputy Director of the FBI was an incredibly powerful position. She couldn't remember a time in her life where she'd ever felt this way and that bothered her more than anything.

Booth realized there was something wrong and walked briskly over to the desk, "DeWinter, snap out of it." He spoke firmly as he reached for a tissue on her desk and extended it toward her.

Kera looked at Booth and realized he must have been there for some time trying to get her attention. "Seeley," she cleared her voice, took the tissue, and dried her eyes, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking. Thanks for coming in and making sure I was doing what I get paid to do. Did you have an update on your case?" She spoke as professionally as possible to avoid any additional questions.

Booth saw right through her efforts to appear as if nothing was wrong. He stepped forward and knelt down beside her, "What's going on Kera? I know you well enough to know you wouldn't cry unless something was seriously wrong with one of your girls."

Kera looked her long time friend and ex-army buddy and tears began to form in her eyes again. "I'm going to lose them, Seeley. Bryan has convinced a judge to have a full hearing. He is going to use my position here to take them away from me. He's got a wife now and is a recovering alcoholic." She spoke through her tears. "I have a great job that buys them a great twelve hour a day nanny and a good education at one of the best schools in the district. He's going to take my girls and there is nothing I can do to stop it. "

Booth looked away from Kera and toward the window for just a moment. The sun was shining into the office though the paned windows. Booth knew Kera had a big heart and that Bryan had taken advantage of it until she'd left him to protect the girls. "Kera, I have an idea. I know you and I know that you will reject this but I think my idea will make the judge see you are the better parent for the girls."

Kera dried her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that when he had an idea that it was pointless to try and argue with him. She threw the balled up tissue into the trashcan beside her desk and looked up at him, "What is your idea, Seeley?"

Booth's instinct was to protect Kera and her girls; he would do the same thing for all women. As he stood up he looked directly down to where Kera was sitting, "Let me move into the fort with you until Bryan backs off. I'll be the male figure in the girl's life and if Bryan tries to go after you or the girls you'll have an in-house sharp-shooter. When it comes time to go to court, I'll be there and two cops with our history against an ex-abusive alcoholic; the judge will have no choice but to keep the girls with you."

Kera felt her eyes widen at his suggestion and quickly tried to process the offer her friend just made. After what felt like hours of silence, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once your real world suggestion actually makes a lot of sense." She spoke softly and in a grateful sounding tone.

Booth never thought that Kera would actually take his idea after he'd offered it. But, now that she had accepted, he had figure out how he was going to explain this to Bones and the rest of the Squint Squad. He mentally scoffed, he couldn't tell them. This was something that they wouldn't understand. He was doing this to protect innocent children from a man like his father.

**********************

Temperance Brennan stood on the forensic platform at the Jeffersonian Institute. She was reviewing an x-ray of the latest victim that the FBI brought in. Her face reflected frustration. If anyone asked why she could tell them it was because Booth hadn't called her to visit the crime scene but she would never admit that out loud. If someone did ask, she'd just evade the question or blame her mood on lack of sleep. That usually worked.

She sighed as she put down the x-ray and walked off the platform toward the autopsy room. As she approached, she could see Cam leaned over the victim's remains. Brennan had her jaw clamped in annoyance as she walked through the threshold.

Cam had her protective eye goggles on as she took out the victim's heart and placed it into a metal bowl, "Dr. Brennan, you'll be happy to know that I just finished my last tissue sample. The bones are all yours and cleaned so you can do your thing."

Brennan walked around to the head of the victim and slid on a pair of exam gloves. "The victim looks like he was shot at close range. Did you find any other evidence in the flesh?"

Cam pulled off her gloves and noted her findings in the chart, "I found scar tissue on his arms, legs and feet. I wasn't able to assess why he would have the scar tissue but between the bone damage on the x-rays and tissue I photographed, I think we will be able to isolate the cause of the scaring. "

Temperance walked around the table and pulled the x-rays of the body up again on the computer screen. She tilted her head slightly as her eyes glared intensely at the screen.

A few minutes passed before her expression change into one of realization. She remembered where she had seen similar injuries. "Cam, I've seen x-rays like this before."

Cam had been sitting at a computer entering her findings into the digital chart for the victim, "Where?" She inquired, standing up quickly and walking to stand next to Brennan still looking at the foot x-ray.

Brennan pointed to the several fractures on the foot, "Booth," she said as she swallowed a lump in her throat before explaining herself. "Booth's x-rays look almost identical to the victim's. It is entirely possible that our victim could be a solider or contractor. This is a technique that would have caused these injuries is mostly commonly used in Afghanistan or Iraq as a means of torture."

Cam seemed lost in her own thoughts for just a few moments. This new information was further confirmation of just how much Booth kept silent about his life. "Alright, I'll call Booth and tell him to come down. I think he'll want to see this as soon as possible." Sighing slightly as she finished speaking, she reached into her pocket and pressed her speed dial.

*****************

Booth knew that he should have been at the Jeffersonian with Bones, his partner. He always waited there while she did the squinting to get the information on the case. However, he also knew that he'd made a promise to Kera that he would be the male in her little girls' lives until he was sure that her drunken ex's custody request was tossed out of court.

Booth threw his duffle bag across the room. He'd packed almost everything he would need for an extended stay. He grabbed his keys, wallet and headed out of what would be his home for a while as his cell phone went off. "Booth," he answered in typical fashion.

"The victim was killed with a gunshot wound to the head. But we found something that might interest you more; the victim was tortured at some point in his life." Cam sighed as she flipped though the hard copy of the victim's chart.

Booth started his car and put it in to drive. He expected Cam to automatically provide him with the details of the torture, but he was mistaken. After an extended pause, he decided to inquire for more information if she wasn't going to give it freely. "Ok. What kind of torture are we talking about?" he asked.

Cam took a deep breath to buy the time to carefully select the best words to use, "Booth, Dr. Brennan said, the marks on the base of his feet are consistent with the torture methods used by Afghan and Iraqi soldiers." Cam realized that she hesitated because of what Brennan told her about Booth's own scars.

"So he was a solider?" He asked in a rhetorical manner. "I'm on my way there; see if you can get any matches on the database." Booth spoke firmly as he slammed his phone closed.

As he drove down the road memories of his own capture with his army buddy, Corporal Hunter came rushing back. His squad leader had given him direct orders to head east away from the target location to set up for the job, but he hadn't listened. He knew that going due south of the location appeared to have better grounds to set up his shot, so he followed his instinct and ended up in the hands of Afghan soldiers for what he later learned to be over a week.

In retrospect, he knew that he'd gotten the better end of the torturing deal. Hunter had ended up with two broken legs and multiples fractures to his arms and ribs along with the fractures to the feet. Booth still felt guilty that Hunter had taken the brunt of the beatings and if he could have change it he would.

Booth shook off the memories as he walked into the Jeffersonian and toward the forensic platform. Angela and Hodgins were hovering around the victim's skeleton as he approached. He clapped his hands together and announced his presence as he usually did. "Alright Squint Squad, do we have the name of the victim?"

Angela smiled in her sweet way toward Booth as he walked to stand across from her, "Hi Booth, nice to see you too, it's been a while. I missed staring at your hot body every day." Angela couldn't pass on the opportunity to get a rise out of the FBI Agent.

Booth looked toward Angela in questioning manner and then to Hodgins, "It's only been a couple of days." Booth thought about what Angela had said and became slightly worried that he may have hurt his Squints and, more importantly, his partner.

Hodgins shook his head, "You've been hands off on this case, Booth." The entomologist said plainly. He was no longer afraid Booth would shoot him for telling the truth. "Your FBI guys have been dictating to us since you've been missing. We really don't like to be given orders by strangers." Hodgins was actually pretty upset with Booth for leaving Brennan alone on the case. He was concerned for his friend, who was also his boss because he hadn't seen her so snippy since Booth last came around.

Booth thought back to how busy the past few days his life had been and quickly realized that his friends, co-workers here at the Jeffersonian were right. "Ok, ok-you're both right. I'll call off the FBI lab guys and talk to them. Now, do you have a face or a name of the victim?"

He realized he was sounding more like an FBI Special Agent then the fun loving, yet serious guy the Squints and Brennan were used to. Booth thought about his partner in that moment and realized it'd been days since they'd had lunch, dinner or so much as a cup of coffee. Booth sighed mentally and knew that Kera's issues with Bryan were serious and that he intended to keep his promise to her.

Angela turned her preliminary sketch of the victim toward Booth, "I haven't run it though the computer database yet so I don't have a name."

Booth stared at the sketch trying to make the face he saw anyone but who he thought it was. He simply refused to believe it anyone he knew, especially someone who'd been though the same hell he had.

Cam swiped her card and walked up to the group standing on the platform, "We've got a name. Darin Hunter, Corporal Darin Hunter an ex-sniper in the Army Rangers was reported missing ten days ago by his wife."

Booth, for a moment, appeared lost in his own thoughts. He remembered the first of what seemed like hours of being held captive. He remembered how Hunter joked that at least they were alive and that their suspected their captors we're going to kill them fast rather than let them bleed to death. It was only after they had been rescued that the Army gave him the vague details on the timeline of their capture.

"Hey big guy come back to us." Cam waved her hand in front of Booth's face.

Booth blinked and looked at the sketch Angela was still holding toward him, "I knew Hunter. He was in my sniper unit."

Hodgins looked at the report that had printed out, "Insect activity on the body suggests that he was killed eight to ten days ago. I'm still analyzing the other particulates that we found; I should have something for you later today."

Booth nodded his eyes clearly showing raw anger mixed with determination, "Where's Bones? She would normally be up here rattling off 6 syllable words and telling me that she found a mark on his epiglottis or something."

"Epiglottis is not a bone." Hodgins said almost coldly as he glared toward Booth.

Angela rolled her eyes in Booth's direction, "Brennan is in her office. You remember the whole part about your FBI lab guys being bossy? She decided that if she stayed in her office she could work with the bones without the pretend boys trying to be you and telling her what to do at every turn."

Booth scoffed as he walked toward the stairs of the platform, "I was gone for four days. I am allowed to have a personal life that requires attention sometimes." Booth said out loud more on accident the on purpose.

Angela turned toward Cam her interest peaked by Booth's comments, "I think we need to find out what Booth is hiding. He just told us that he now has a personal life. "

Cam couldn't help but laugh, "Angela you make working here so much more interesting. Keeping up to date with everyone's life outside of work keeps everyone on their toes."

Hodgins had a semi-smile on his face when he spoke in an amused voice, "But she's right. Booth's hiding something and I so want to find out what it is."

Booth made his way towards his partner's office, trying to process that a close friend from his past was dead. His mind drifted to his other current responsibilities to Kera and her girls. He knew that it would require adjustments to his working day because he had to be around to help with homework and everything that his Dad never did. Booth knocked on Brennan's door as he walked in, "Bones? You ready to head out? We've got a murder to solve."

Temperance Brennan looked up at her long time partner with a cold glare. They had been partners for years and since the newest case had been brought to the Jeffersonian, he hadn't been the fact finding investigator she'd come to know and care about. "Why don't you take Hodgins? I've got work here in the lab to complete." She realized how she had redirected him to avoid asking him why he'd been avoiding the Squints and her after four years of partnership. Brennan had been hurt that he hadn't called and just expected her to work the case alone.

Booth's shut the door to his partner's office, "Bones, what's going on? Hodgins is great squint but I don't take Hodgins to interviews, I take you. We're partners we talk to the families, interview suspects, build a case, put the bad guys behind bars, and we do that together."

Brennan suppressed her initial response of anger and cleared her voice, "Yes. That is typically true but normally you let me visit the crime scene; do my own investigative work directly rather than answering to your low level agents at the FBI and you always check in on your cases from the time we get them until we have a murderer in detention."

Booth was a little taken back at how defensive his partner was acting. He hadn't realized that taking a couple days to sort out his personal life would have caused such distress to all the Squints. "Look, I'm sorry Bones but I had to take care of some stuff in my personal life. I never realized…"

Temperance stood up from her desk and walked in an aggressive manner toward Booth, "While, I don't understand how Sweets comes to his conclusions about our interpersonal relationships, I think we need to go talk to him. Since your personal life has affected our working relationship…"

Booth put his hands in front of him in a defensive stance, "Hold it, my personal life has not affected our working relationship. I took four days. I thought you and the rest of the Squint Squad would be fine. And if it counts at all, my old army buddy is lying on that table and I want to put his killer behind bars. To do that, I need you." Booth realized at the end that he was almost yelling at her and took several steps back to defuse the tension between them.

Brennan eyes softened as she began to realize that her response would be completely irrational, "I'd like to go see Sweets before we start working this case." She was concerned that his distance on the case was because he didn't want to work with her anymore.

Booth wasn't sure if he was angry or frustrated but he knew that the only way to get Bones back on his side was to do what she asked, "Fine. We'll head over to the baby duck and get our interpersonal relationship checked out and then solve the murder of my army buddy." Booth turned and opened the door to Brennan's office, "Let's go." Booth was feeling defensive as he really didn't want to go see Sweets. But, he had sensed that she needed something from the meeting they were going to have so he'd agreed to go.

Brennan crossed in front of Booth and met his eyes briefly before exiting her office. She was trying to rationalize why Booth wouldn't have at least called her or stopped by the lab.

Booth followed his partner out of her office; his own mind racing to figure out how just a few days of dealing with his personal life had caused a rift. While he trusted his partner and often admired her, the arrangement with Kera was something very personal to him and he didn't feel like he needed to explain it to anyone.

***********

The drive over to the FBI building was uncomfortable and felt unusually long for such a short distance. Booth glanced over to his partner who was staring out the window, her body shifted as far as physically possible away from him. His hands tightened on the steering wheel in frustration causing his knuckles to turn white. If he had known that taking the four days to work remotely would have caused Brennan and the Squints such distress he would have called them instead of checking his messages and with colleagues at the FBI.

Brennan stared out the window trying to understand why Booth didn't want to work with the team anymore. She didn't understand why she was so angry with him over not talking for four days. Her leading theory was that she felt he wasn't interested in the case and that's why he'd sent in his assistant, Charlie to get updates. Brennan had told Booth that she didn't want to work with anyone in the FBI but him. She thought he would have the professional courtesy to end their partnership directly rather than avoid her.

Once at the FBI building, they both exited the vehicle and walked toward the outdoor elevator. Brennan pressed the up arrow key as tapped her foot waiting for the doors to open. Booth meanwhile looked at his watch and realized that he needed to find out from Kera what time the girls would be out of school and if he needed to pick them up.

The elevator doors open and they bumped elbows as they both tried to enter. "Sorry." They both said in unison as the doors closed and ascended toward Sweet's floor. Normally bumping elbows would have brought forth some type of joke, but this time the awkwardness after the small gesture showed the trouble in the partnership.

Booth quickly reached across his partner toward the keypad and punched in Kera's floor as well. Brennan looked at Booth, her question already written on her face before she spoke "I already keyed in Sweets floor. Why are you going to the top floor?"

Booth raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side, "I need to talk to my boss. I'll meet you in Sweets' office in a few minutes. It won't take very long." He realized that he'd come off probably sounding angry to her but he figured that Sweets would be able to fix their issues so he didn't dwell on it.

"Can't you just call her? We have a case to work on and we need to talk to Sweets to fix our interpersonal relationship." She spoke in a frustrated manner as he was again trying to avoid their partnership issues.

As the doors opened to Sweets' floor, Booth held the door for her "I promise I'll be there in just a few minutes. Go-get a head start on the psycho-babble that our baby duck is going to give us." Brennan looked at Booth one last time before stepping out of the elevator and walking towards Sweets office.

Booth sighed heavily and put his head against the elevator wall as he reflected on the day. The Squint Squad and Brennan were mad at him for being distant, his army buddy was dead and he hadn't even gotten to the investigation portion of his murder. He was on his way to see Kera whose ex was a drunk with a bad attitude. "Just another day in paradise," Booth muttered as he stepped out of the elevator and headed down the hallway toward Kera's office.