This story picks up during the season 9 finale episode. If you haven't watched it, please come back after you've seen the episode.
I've been thinking through (and very slowly writing) some missing pieces/ guesses about what happened during the finale and post-finale. Work has just about stomped my creativity, but I have finally managed to finish a chapter! Let me know what you think — goal is to have this story finished by the season 10 premiere, but I have no idea how many chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.
"Is Daddy in trouble? Why isn't he coming?"
"He has to meet some people here at the house."
"What people?"
"Some people." Brennan glanced at her daughter. "Finish putting on your shoes like I asked you to do, please."
"It's stuck." Christine wiggled her right foot into the stubborn shoe. "Help?"
Instead of alleviating the shoe problem, Brennan hurriedly shoved another two pairs of pants into Christine's duffel bag.
"Why did you get so many clothes?" Christine asked, suddenly suspicious of her mother's packing. "I don't want all of them."
"Just in case you need them."
"But I don't want them."
Ignoring her daughter's protest, Brennan leaned to pick up Christine, who immediately exclaimed, "My shoe!"
"We'll fix it later. Let's go tell Daddy goodnight." Brennan was already out of the bedroom and halfway down the hall. "Booth!"
He knew she was giving him a warning call, and he threw a dishtowel over the two smaller guns on their bar. Trying to put off his tension, he met his girls at the bottom of the stairs with a smile. "You ready for a sleepover at Grandpa's?"
"I don't wanna go."
"Nah, it'll be great." He held out his arms. "Come here for a second."
Immediately, Christine reached for him, winding her small arms around his neck. "Daddy, I wanna stay."
"I know." He pressed a long kiss to her forehead.
"Why can't you go?"
He gave Brennan a questioning look, and she hastily filled in the gap, repeating the line she had given Christine just moments earlier. "Daddy has a meeting."
"He's getting the bad guys."
Again, Booth shot Brennan a questioning look. This time, she looked at him helplessly and shrugged, silently mouthing the words, "I didn't tell her that."
"Well, that's part of my job," Booth remarked as he brushed Christine's hair away from her face. "You know that."
Christine's fingers tapped Booth's shoulder and she pointed toward the kitchen. "You have your vest."
"Yeah." Booth swallowed, glancing over his shoulder to see what else Christine might have spotted. "I do."
"Are you in trouble?" Her voice wavered slightly.
"No." Booth's answer was immediate and firm, and he closed his eyes as he squeezed Christine a little bit tighter. "God, forgive me for lying to her."
"Kiss Daddy goodnight," Brennan reminded gently.
"I love you, Christine." Booth kissed both of her cheeks and put on a brave smile when she returned the favor. "Be good for your grandpa."
"Night, Daddy. Love you."
"Booth?" Out of the corner of her eye, Brennan noticed several decorative items on the kitchen countertop, right next to what she knew had to be another block of wrapped C-4. "That vase by the sink is … "
Why the hell was she worried about a stupid vase? "Bones, at this point, I don't give a damn, and I'll buy you another one," he muttered through gritted teeth as he handed Christine back to her.
She simply nodded her assent. "I love you, Booth." Brennan's eyes, full of tears that she knew she couldn't shed in front of their daughter, pierced him. "I'll see you soon."
"Drive safely." He quickly put both arms around Brennan and Christine, hugging both of them tightly while giving Brennan a final hard kiss. "I love you."
"Remember what you promised me." One tear escaped her eye, and Booth reached to brush it off her cheek before Christine could notice.
"I do." He glanced out the window. "You need to go."
She nodded, and walked toward the back door before Christine could protest again. Booth turned and went back to the kitchen, reaching for the dish soap and one of the small vases by the sink. He immediately realized why Brennan had protested him using it — the tall, white vase was the vessel carrying the first flowers he had ever bought her. Just last week, he had arrived home with a surprise bouquet, and — after thanking him with a kiss — she immediately selected and filled the white vase with water.
"You like that one, don't you?"
Turning toward him, she smiled. "You don't remember."
"Uh oh. I'm sorry?" he ventured cautiously.
"Don't be sorry!" she laughed. "You gave me this years ago. After I found out about my mother."
"I did?" Booth vaguely remembered the flowers, but not the addition of a vase.
"Yes. It was the first time you brought me flowers."
"And you've held on to it all these years?"
"Of course."
Pulling himself out of his thoughts with a sigh, Booth returned the vase to its cabinet, reaching instead to replace it with a pitcher.
They went straight for Booth's truck, which was yet another red flag of the night to observant Christine. "Mommy, why aren't we taking your car?"
Brennan hurriedly buckled her daughter in, responding to Christine with a brisk, "Daddy's car is faster and has a full tank of gas."
"Do we need to go fast?"
Mentally kicking herself for revealing that yes, they did indeed need to go fast, Brennan shut the back door. Climbing in the driver's seat, she immediately started the SUV and threw it into reverse. "No, not really. I just wanted to drive the truck. And sometimes I do like to drive fast."
That answer kept Christine quiet, but as Brennan raced down the street toward the freeway, the little girl recognized the edge to her mother's voice. She rubbed her eyes and decided to watch the lights out the window. Within five minutes, her eyes began to droop ever so slightly, and she would have fallen asleep, were it not for the interruption of SUV's Bluetooth system, signaling a phone call.
Startled, Christine's jumpy eyes darted up to the speaker in Brennan's car. She stayed quiet as she listened to her mother dialogue back and forth with Mr. Fisher.
"That could help Booth discern from which direction they would attack."
Attack? Christine glanced up at the rearview mirror to try to catch her mother's expression.
"Or how they would shoot."
Jerking her head back up at the word 'shoot,' Christine's eyes widened at the news from her mother's intern. Daddy really was in trouble.
It killed me not to see Booth tell Christine goodbye in the actual episode. Anyone else?