BOOTH
"The FBI are still continuing their nationwide search for forensic anthropologist Doctor Temperance Bren..." With a grunt of frustration the screen was engulfed in blackness and the remote flew across the room.
Booth was sick of this, sick of mealy mouth failed models on the news channels making up their latest dirty gossip about Bones. Saying she was a murderer, a child abductor, who were they to say that? How could they not understand Pelant had framed her, Bones was not a murderer! She was one of the good guys she had put hundreds, thousands of murderers behind bars and now people were acting as if she were one! How could they not see it, she was framed, Temperance Brennan was not a murderer. This thought overtook as he stormed around the house the monotonous tasks of day to day life filled with anger and sadness since Bones' departure, the bottle steriliser and a pack of organic baby wipes still sat on the counter by the sink, both had been left there by Bones before they left that fateful day to Christen baby Christine, Booth couldn't bring himself to move them, she had touched them before she left, that meant sure that some small microbial part of her was still here and until she came home they weren't going anywhere.
Throwing the contents of his untouched coffee into the sink, he grabbed the suit jacket from where he'd left it sagging across the shoe rack the night before and left the house, maybe today after four long weeks, today would be the day they finally got the evidence on Pelant and brought Bones and Christine home.
BONES
My Dearest Booth
Though it is completely illogical, I find myself compelled to write to you.
I suppose Sweets would say that psychologically I am using these letters as a cathartic response to my separation from you.
I am longing for you to know that Christine and I are safe and my father is taking good care of us. It took all my strength to drive away from you that day. After three days of driving we finally met with my father. He had false identification document's for us and I must say I do not know where he got them from but they seem most genuine. I am now Tanya Llewellyn and Christine is to be known as Kaitlyn. I hope that this will not become a long term arrangement as Christine develops using the wrong name could cause her confusing and upset.
I have been forced to cut my hair excessively short and colour it red due to the pictures my father has placed in our new identification I do not find this at all appealing and intend to rectify at least the colour upon my return to you.
I do love you Booth and I find being separated from you like this excessively distressing I hope to return to you soon and re-cement our bond.
All my love
Bones
ANGELA
Angela yawned stirring her coffee, like every other night since Bones and Christine vanished she hadn't slept well, she still hadn't cracked Pelant's code or made sense of Ethan's strange message that she was sure would prove Brennan's innocence – well either that or that Ethan was just a whack job with a fetish for licking paintwork.
Taking the coffee in one hand and Michaels cereal in the other she walked back to her laptop, the device had not been switched off in days accept for the brief journeys between their apartment and the Jeffersonian. She placed the steaming coffee on Michael's highchair tray and the mushy cereal beside the screen as she sat down. Hodgin's who had been watching his wife from the doorway ran across and corrected her potentially disastrous error.
"Thanks sweetie" she smiled as he placed to coffee by her hand. She was so exhausted she couldn't even remember that she had made her own drink. Hodgin's pulled out a chair and sat down between her and their son.
"Angie Honey, What time did you come to bed last night?" Angela was staring through rather than at the lines of data on her computer screen.
"Two, Three, I don't know"
"Don't you think you are overdoing it, you can't help Brennan if you can't think straight"
Angela exploded with rage for her husband's worry jumping to her feet the hot coffee cup fell over the scalding liquid pouring languidly across the table top and trickling sedately to the tiled floor. Michael looked up in shock his spoon plummeted to the floor, his mouth hanging open.
"Over doing it? How exactly am I over doing it I am the only person that can crack this and prove Brennan is innocent, I am the only person that can bring her home, Dear god, Booth has been kicked off the case, Caroline could lose her job, Sweets is trying to keep Booth going and I can see him blaming himself and Cam, dear god Cam seems determined that she is going to put Brennan away for something that in her heart of hearts she knows she isn't capable of! So tell me Jack, How exactly am I overdoing it."
With that statement every last ounce of her energy seemed to drain from her. He looked her in the eye and in that second lunged forward to catch her as she fell exhausted and weeping. At the sight of his mothers collapse Michael screamed terror in his infant voice he reached arms out stretched for his mother. Hodgins lowered Angela to the floor and scooped his son into his arms before sitting down next to Angela's weeping form. "It's ok" he soothed possibly more to himself than his wife and child "we will figure this out – Palent will not get away with this" or at least that was what he hoped.
The anger which had enveloped her minutes before vanished and a rock hard resolve set in,
"that's right he won't" and wiping tears from her eyes she lifted her son up, "I'm going to get Michael dressed for day care" with that she swept from the room, Hodgins now noticed the coffee on the floor and slowly pulled himself to his feet grabbing a cloth from the counter to clean up the mess.
BOOTH
Booth turned his SUV into the FBI parking lot bracing himself for the gaggle of vulturous reporters he knew would be waiting for him, he locked the doors rolled up the windows and stared straight ahead. On the first day a reporter had actually climbed into the back of the car with him. The doors had remained locked since. He heard snippets of yells as he waited for the security barrier to raise – from the smirk on the controllers face he was certain he was drawing it out just to see if Booth finally snapped. "Agent Booth have you heard from doctor Brennan..." "Agent Booth have you reported your child's disappearance as an abduction, due to her being with a dangerous murderer" Thankfully at this point the security barrier raised and he sped – wheel spinning into the underground car park.
"Christine" he hissed, his voice raising as he flung the door open and stepped into the cool air of the car park "My daughter's name is Christine and she is not with a murderer, she is with her mother where she's safe from the real murderer!"Slamming the door he stalked in the direction of the elevator.
Glancing around the squad room he realised that like every day for the last month he must be here early, the room was practically deserted; Agent Shaw stood by the coffee maker caught his eye as he passed. Flynn, the bastard responsible for the man hunt for Brennan was talking animatedly on his mobile and somewhere in a side room he could hear rather than see Caroline Julian's Presence. Keeping his head down he made a bee line for his office hoping Flynn hadn't noticed his arrival – he did not need another 'your missus is a nutcase speech from him' A mobile phone snapped shut and Booth grimaced he knew what was coming
"Seeley – Early again I see, strange you wouldn't roll in earlier than 10 minutes late when you were playing house with the psycho"
"Bones is not a psycho Flynn so shut it!"
"Well, touchy aren't we? Missing the good stuff are we they say the crazy ones are always the sexual predators"
This was more than Booth could take and he lunged for Flynn grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into a pillar
"Never ever talk about Bones like that"
Even with the hand pressed against his throat Flynn smirked
"Bones – sounds like an accurate description to me, maybe I'll give her one myself when we finally catch her, maybe if she plays nice I'll make the charges more lenient"
Booths fist came back at lightning fast speed but before he could strike he felt a soft hand envelop his, He turned Genny Shaw's gentle eyes looked at him and his shoulder relaxed loosening his grip on Flynn's neck slightly.
"Agent Flynn I believe that as you aware that Agent Booth has a relationship with Doctor Brennan who is currently a person of interest in one of your investigations that your discussing her and the investigation with Agent Booth is strongly against protocol and could lead to disciplinary action. Maybe you should get on with your duties before I find it pertinent to report this matter."
Flynn shook himself free from Booth's now slack grasp and straightened his collar he shot a look of pure disgust from Booth to Shaw before stalking away his pride obviously shaken.
Booth looked Shaw in the eye "Thanks" he said and he meant it, he turned towards his office again and Shaw for her short stature kept pace with him incredibly well only as he entered his office she walked back to the coffee maker returning seconds later with two steaming cups handing one to Booth she said, "Look I know you probably don't want to hear this but I want you to know I'm here if you need someone, I believe you, I have worked with Doctor Brennan and I personally believe she is not capable of murder!" She looked at Booth he was tired she could see the black engulfing his eyes the creases in his shirt, he needed rest and she knew that until this was over that wasn't going to happen, she turned to leave. "Just remember I'm on your side ok" and with that she left.
Booth sat down heavily and removed a pile of folders from his in tray, a post-it stuck to the top read; get these signed by forensics – cheers. Well at least going to the Jeffersonian would get him out of this office, even if he did have to drive through the throng of reporters again to do so, he took a sip of the coffee Shaw had made him, It was cooling but still good enough coffee and he knew he needed all the help he could get to stay awake.
"Bad move Cherie" Caroline Julians ample form filled the door way of Booth's office "Strangling the lead investigator of your honeys case not a good show of control"
Booth Grunted "Just be glad Shaw was there or you'd be prosecuting me for murder by now"
"Cherie, you know that isn't going to help even with an insufferable bastard like Flynn and you aren't the first Agent to have him in a neck hold just the first one who's lover was a murderer!"
"Bones is not a murderer Caroline" his voice rose "You know it and I know it she was framed by Pelant dear god he wired money into your account you know what he's capable of!"
"I know Cherie but Brennan bailed on her arrest warrant and as far as everyone in this building is concerned that makes her guilty as hell, I'm sorry but it's true!"
Sweeping the files in front of him into his arms, Booth's hand rested on the coffee cup in front of him for a second.
"Everyone in this building does not believe she is guilty Caroline, I know she's innocent, You know she's innocent and Genny Shaw knows she's innocent and do you know what it's our job to find the proof and show the rest of them"
And with that he swept from the room for the Jeffersonian. Caroline cussed silently to herself and even though it was a foreign concept to her she chased after him to apologise.
"Cheri... Cheri..."
THE JEFFERSONIAN
It was nearly 11am by the time that Booth finally arrived at the Jeffersonian, Caroline had caught up with him as he entered the parking lot and through heavy breath's he had been shocked to hear an apology come from her lips, Caroline was a very determined woman and he was definite that in his entire career he'd never heard her admit that she was wrong to anyone. He knew she was right of course Bones did look guilty why else would someone flee an arrest warrant – well unless the man framing her was a computer genius who could destroy her as soon as she became part of the system. Max had been right about that, as much as he hated to admit it, Bones was safer outside of the system.
The sliding doors swooshed as he entered the lab he avoided the main platform where Cam, who thankfully was facing away from him, was concentrating on a gooey looking body, he could not cope with the fact that her 'belief in the system' was what had destroyed his life, he knew Bones would tell him that 'Doctor Saroyan was doing the correct thing in not holding back the evidence and incriminating herself and the team as accomplices in a misdoing,' but he still didn't want to speak to her unless it was necessary. Instead he headed straight for Angela's office. She was possibly the only person that missed Bones as much as he did, when Booth had told her she had collapsed into his arms beating his chest and yelling that he was lying, he only wished he had been.
Angela as it happens was sitting on the couch in her office deep in conversation with Sweets, on the screen of the Angelatron he could see she was scanning Palent's code through yet another algorithm that was punctuated ever few seconds by a chord of angry beeps determining that again they were no closer to cracking this code. A skull ornamented with tissue depth markers sat on the counter next to the lap top a data screen open with two or three figures inserted – obviously Angela had walked away from imputing facial reconstruction details when Sweets had arrived, her puffy eyes showed she had been crying, he coughed nervously hoping he wasn't interrupting too much. Angela jumped to her feet to hug him;
"Sweetie, Hey how are you?" she squeezed him slightly too tight and for slightly too long but he didn't mind. Sweets also stood extending his hand in greeting "Agent Booth, good to see you" Booth took his hand but felt compelled and pulled him in and hugged him also, he had been a tower of strength over the weeks and had begun to think of him as a true, if slightly aggravating, friend.
The three sat again booth dropped the pile of files on the table breathed heavily and asked;
"Anything?" Angela shook her head sadly, her head in her hands, "No sweetie I'm sorry I should have cracked this by now" Booth jumped to his feet to comfort Angela she looked on the verge of crying again and he would not have her blaming herself.
"Don't be silly" he soothed "you have done more than enough you're risking your job if Cam catches you still trying to decipher this when you should be doing that" he gestured to the facial reconstruction.
"Well thats only protocol anyway – we all know who it is. Family of four died in their beds in a house fire. I've seen pictures that is the skull of David Atwell, they all had smoke inhalation it's a natural death, natural but tragic" booth looked at her, genuinely concerned that she could be overlooking something more serious.
"There were no signs of foul play?"
"No, looks like a case of faulty plug outlet"
Booth allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief yes this family had died but Angela wasn't ignoring murders because of Bones. At that point Wendall Bray entered the office at speed, Angela's ex lover froze at the sight of Agent Booth.
"Oh sorry Angela, Erm Cam says have you finished the facial reconstructions" Angela waved at some piles of paperwork, It's definitely the family I haven't finished the fourth yet but those three are definitely, Sarah, Julian and Rebecca Atwell."
As Wendell picked up the reports Booth grabbed his reports, "Whilst you're at it get Cam to sign these off will you, then bring them back to me ok" Wendell took the reports and scurried away.
"Agent Booth Angela and I have been talking, I believe that our best bet to prove Doctor Brennan's innocence is to unnerve Pelant so he makes a mistake. He is currently thriving off the fact that the media is dissecting Doctor Brennan as a killer, we need to show him that we are still fighting to prove her innocence, I propose we show the world all the good she has done – prove to people what a wonderful person she is, the only problem we have is how do it"
Booth allowed a small smile to play on his face for a few seconds the thought of unnerving Pelant made him very very happy suddenly an idea hit him.
"Her publisher, Bones' publisher I bet she could get us a placement on the news she's got connections" Angela jumped in.
"If you're going on the news I want to come on with you!" This time it was Sweets' turn to jump into the conversation
"Angela, that is a bad idea, you are still involved in this investigation going into the media saying that Doctor Brennan is a good person will almost definitely get you removed and that can't happen we need you to keep searching and prove she is innocent"
"But ... But..." Booth interrupted "I know what you could do. You know when you gave faces to the Emalia – Rose victims, Can you get pictures of all of the people that Bone help give their faces back to. You must have records – there must be hundred! That will prove she is a good person that she! Sweets you can make a profile of her show she's not capable of murder"
"Yes! Yes! Definitely I can give a profile... If I can make a suggestion we should have the interview at your home, prove that she is a family woman!" They all seemed to be excited for the first time in weeks when Booth's phone rang, he flipped it open
"Booth... yea... yea... ok we'll be there"
"Grab your gear people we've got 3 dead bodies in a motel of the interstate, I'll call Bones' publisher on the way"
The three of them rose in unison and left a skip in their step. Dead body or no dead body!
BONES
Angela,
You are my closest friend and I feel an extreme amount of guilt for leaving you without even being able to say goodbye.
I hope that, providing he is not to angry at me, Booth has explained why I have done this. I miss our sister like closeness; I say this of course not having the control element of having an actual sister.
You will be pleased to know that despite my father's insistence I have decided against the option of plastic surgery, I know that you are very much opposed to the falsifying of natural beauty.
Instead of this extreme method I have instead chosen a very deep fake tan and coloured contacts. My father has also advised that I should speak like 'that hillbilly intern of yours' I would assume from this that he means Mr Abanathy, I have attempted to tell Christine that she is cuter than a June bug in a jumpsuit but I just do not understand this simile!
I hope to be home soon with you all as I believe Christine is missing playing with Michael.
Yours
Temperance
Crime Scene
The Golden Pineapple Motel was as dilapidated as any motel could be four hours down the interstate from DC only drug dealers, cheap hookers and the thoroughly exhausted would pay for the use of the facilities, the local sheriff had cordoned off room number four, on the phone Booth had gathered that multiple killings were very much outside this sleepy towns capabilities and as they had put it they had decided to call in the big guns!
Booth pulled into the pot holed motel parking lot, beginning to wish that he had not brought Sweets along in the car with him. If only he hadn't needed someone to write down what Bones' publisher had said to his whilst he was driving. After two hours on the road Sweets inner shrink had come out in full force and Booth had come very close to shooting him before sidetracking him with how he would profile Bones to prove her innocence.
Booth was just stepping out of the SUV when the Tech Van and Morgue Truck pulled up next to him, and the team, clad in blue FBI Jumpsuits disembarked. Booth flashed his credentials "Agent Booth FBI"
"Glad y'all could make it, the mess in there is way outside my jurisdiction" The Sheriff replied.
Before letting the team under the barriers and into the crime scene Booth got the full back story. Three weeks Previous a couple with a baby had arrived. It had been three in the morning and they had paid with a large bundle of cash and told the clerk they did not want to be disturbed – No the clerk hadn't checked their ID and no he couldn't remember what they looked like but the bloke was older than the woman. With this shaky description noted he opened the door and ducked under the Crime Scene tape but nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see he froze in abstract horror, Cam who had been following in behind him crashed into his frozen form berating him for stopping before she realised why he had stopped.
It was like something out of a horror movie on the bed a skeleton lay prone one hand draped across the forehead as if blocking out the light from an overhead bulb small crib next to the bed held the skeletal form of an infant close by a small pink bunny rabbit and on the small couch another skeleton sat facing the small television set, hands extended round the back of the head fingers interlaced ankles crossed in a casual and relaxed position. The mirror above the dilapidated dresser had a message sprawled across it in what appeared to be human blood 'Now you see me now you don't' Booth stepped into the room careful to avoid any evidence that may be on the floor and the small space soon filled with the Jeffersonian team all muttering their comments of shock and disbelief, Cam shook her head, Wendell and Finn both looked slightly pale – day in day out around bones could not stay the horror of the infant skeleton Angela grabbed Hodgins hand and squeezed it tight.
Booth proceeded towards the message on the mirror Angela finally managed to speak
"They said these guys only arrived three weeks ago right? Where's the rest of them?"
Booth stood in front of the mirror "and what the hell does this mean?" A glint on the counter below the mirror caught his eye, leaning over he scooped up a small silver hoop on the end of his pen horror spread across his face his eyes flicking to the small bunny rabbit next to the infant and back to the silver hoop – a woman's ring, two dolphins entwined on the band – Brennan's ring, fury spread through his entire body the roar of a feral beast escaped his throat, one furious word escaped his throat "PELANT" He flew from the room, shoving between Finn and Wendell sending them both crashing into the walls. Cam followed him,
"BOOTH, BOOTH WAIT!" she grabbed his wrist and he span on his heels his army training screaming at him to twist her arm up her back and pin her to the floor. All composure left him as he screamed at Cam pure loathing in his voice.
"YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN YOU SAW IT IN THERE HE'S KILLED HER, PELANT HAS KILLED THE WOMAN I LOVE, HES KILLED MY CHILD AND HE'S KILLED MAX! AND IT'S YOUR FAULT CAMILLE BECAUSE OF YOUR BELIEF IN THE SYSTEM EVEN THOUGH YOU KNEW SHE WAS INNOCENT! YOU MAY AS WELL HAVE KILLED THEM YOURSELF!"
Booth's knees gave way and he collapsed to the floor screaming and punching the gravel parking lot beneath him. Angela, tears rolling down her face, ran to Booth's side.
"BOOTH!" she shouted her voice shrill "Booth listen to me! I know what it looks like in there! But you listen to me Seeley Booth" She slapped his cheek just hard enough to make him meet her gaze "That is not them in there Booth this is just another crime scene and until Hodgins and Wendell and Finn and Cam Prove it is they are not dead! We will process this just like every other crime scene that's what Brenn' would want so Seeley we need to do this. Please Booth... Please" Her hands embraced his face, like a mother would a frightened child.
"Angela, you're right!" He gulped "Cam I'm Sorry" and with a sigh of resolve "Right everyone let's get this crime scene back to the lab, make sure you don't miss anything, If we need to we'll take the whole room back with us" And before returning to the horror room helped Angela to her feet.
THE JEFFERSIONIAN
The examination of the crime scene had been an exhausting and sombre affair, barely a word had been spoken accept for requests for swabs and evidence bags. Booth had only re entered the room to ask for progress reports and had spent much of the rest of the time, with Sweets' assistance trying to get more details on the residents of room number four from the incessantly unhelpful desk clerk.
Cursory examination of the bones had shown they had not been cleaned in any of the scientific methods, they were not clean enough to have been boiled, macerated or been exposed to the Dermestes method – a method where by the body is covered with flesh eating beetles that eat away the excess skin and tissues. Instead it appeared that the skin flesh and muscle had been pulled from the bones and trimmed away at the ends so next to nothing was left, as Wendell had put it, almost like someone trying to get the last scraps of meat of a chicken drumstick!
After several hours of examination the team were exhausted but no one would leave the lab until they knew for sure that they were not working on the skeletal remains of their beloved friend. For the first two hours Booth had stalked the lab shouting for results and berating anyone who didn't seem to be working hard enough, after this time Sweets' who had decided that until they knew for sure he would not leave Booth's side, had convinced him that the entire team must be hungry by now and possibly the best thing they could do to help prove this wasn't Dr Brennan and his daughters remains would be to go and get some food for the squints so they could concentrate on the task in hand. So for now accept for the quiet buzz of activity from the equipments and the odd scientific whisper the lab was quiet.
In the cool air of his office Hodgins' focussed on the line of evidence bags and samples before him, behind him the DNA synthesiser beeped occasionally fighting with the tiny samples to try and match them to the DNA of their owners. His hand rested briefly on the small fluffy rabbit sealed safely in its evidence bag, breathing deeply to compose himself, Him, Angela and Michael had brought one identical to this for baby Christine, he shook this thought from his mind and gathered together the various samples of blood taken from the mirror, there had been no signs of the bodies being mutilated in the room so the blood must have been brought in from else ware, there could be particulates from this location in the blood. He moved several other bags to pick up the mirror itself when his eyes, like Booth's, were drawn to the dolphin ring – only he noticed something Booth hadn't, he dropped everything pulling the bag open and plopping the ring into his gloved palm, he wiped the ring to make sure it wasn't just a dirty mark. It wasn't.
"Oh God, Oh My God" and he ran from the room to find Booth.
Angela wiped her eyes from her latest bout of tears, despite her tough love approach to Booth, she could not take this, she could now take the thought that Pelant had killed her best friend.
At that moment Finn came into the room carrying a skull daubed with skin depth markers, his southern drawl filled the room.
"Got the first skull for you ma'am" Angela smiled at his politeness,
"Thank you Finn, but how many times do I have to tell you it's Angela"
"Sorry Angela, but my Momma always told me to be polite to a beautiful lady! Anyway here is Dr Saroyan's initial report" He handed her a folder "Caucasian, Male, Approximately sixty years of age"
Angela Gulped "So all factors concurrent with Max so far then" she flipped the file open and closed it before she had read anything
"Well Angela, that could apply to 6% of the American population" She nodded in agreement he was right, Max was one of nearly 19000000 60 year old males is America alone. She looked up to thank him, but had already left.
"Well buddy, lets get this over with shall we" She picked up the tray containing the skull and began feeding data into the Angelatron; proportions or eye to nose and nose to mouth ratio's, forehead and cheek depths. She began examining the Skull closer;
"you do kinda look like Max though buddy, same forehead depth, same cheek structure... Oh!... OH!... OH MY GOD BOOTH! BOOTH!" and she too fled her office in search of the FBI Agent.
Finn had in this time returned to the platform to assist Wendell and Cam with the Examination of the infant remains;
"Length of the child indicates an age range of four to six months dependant on Sex and Race"
"Both of which" Cam began "Are practically indeterminate at this stage of development"
"We could ask Dr Hodgins to do an isotope reading on the bone to find out where the child was most likely born" Finn Said, Cam nodded approvingly at this idea from the young intern although felt a maternal pang of shame at defiling the infant body even more.
Wendell looked up from his examination of the skull, he beckoned Finn over;
"Finn what do you make of these marks on the skull?" For a moment he examined them closely,
"In my humble opinion" he stated "these look like lacerations from an assisted birth, for example a vacuum pump even by six months these marks would not have fully remodelled, Dr Saroyan am I right in believing that Christine Booth was born in barn with no medical intervention?"
Cam opened her mouth to reply but instead a look of relief spread across her face, this relief was mimicked in Wendell and Finns faces and they too headed down the steps of the platform in search of Booth.
The Man himself at this moment was walking back into the lab with Sweets, both carrying 2 large bags of Chinese food, the bags nearly fell to the floor as five bodies flew at him in unison all speaking as one.
"Booth, it's not them!" All five then burst into long explanations of their findings. Booth dropped the bags to the floor and raised his hands to silence them all
"Woah Woah, quieten down people, right so it's not them!"
Everyone confirmed this nodding and agreeing Booth let out a huge sigh of relief before looking around at the six people looking at him, Sweets had by now laid his bags on the floor and was stood to Booth's right his hand resting on his left shoulder, an attempt at psychologically keeping Booth strong.
"Ok Angela first how do you know it's not..." he waved his hand at the skull he had only just realised she held in her hand. Angela swallowed before she began to speak, she was ecstatic that this wasn't her friend's father and racked with guilt that she was probably holding the skull of someone else's father and was glad that he was dead instead of max, she swallowed,
"Well I was feeding the data relating to the male skull into the Angelatron and I noticed that this males cheek structure almost exactly matches Max's cheek structure" The faces around her looked blank, she continued "Max had plastic surgery he had cheek implants, without them his natural cheeks would be much shallower and there is no sign of any surgery on this skull!" She breathed a sigh of relief Booth took a moment,
"Hodgins?"
"I noticed this by complete accident there was just something off about the dolphin ring, Dr Brennan wears this ring all day everyday, I have never seen her without it. It's a silver ring it has never tarnished in all these years. This ring is a fake it is brass with a nickel alloy coating to give it the silver appearance, probably cost no more than a dollar 50. It was placed there purely to make us think the female skeleton was Brennan. Pelant's intention was to scare you to make you think she was dead" Rage and relief surged through every inch of his being, he took a deep breath and turned again this time to cam and the interns.
"Squinterns?"
Finn and Wendell both beamed huge smiles "Christine was born in a barn!" the definite tone in their voice implied that this should explain everything, everyone looked confused booth interjected
"Well I know that I was there what is your point?" Cam decided it was best to answer from here
"The infant remains we have on the table at the moment were delivered used an assisted birthing method known as a vacuum pump, Christine's birth was unassisted, it's not her"
A moments silence followed before Booth said "Thank you so much everyone, now you have all got some much earned Chinese food here and then we have to find out who these people are so when we get our hand on Pelant we can get justice for their families too"
THE INTERVIEW
To Booth's amazement Bones' publisher had gotten them a spot on Good Morning America apparently since her disappearance, book sales had sky rocketed and the news channels were nearly biting off hands to get exclusive interview rights with her lover.
So as it turned out five days later Booth and Sweets sat in Brennan's office, a room that Cam had not let a single other person into in case they disturbed it and Brennan was angry when she returned, but today was different Angela and Hodgins, were finishing hanging pictures of those Brennan had given back their identities, they had barely broken the surface of the cases Bones had helped solve but there just wasn't the room.
"I'm not sure if I can do this Sweets what if I say something wrong and it makes her look more guilty" Sweets tried to sound more reassuring than he felt his nerves were doing flips in his stomach.
"Agent Booth, just tell them about the Temperance Brennan that we know and that you love, then she could never look guilty of anything"
A perky blonde wearing a headset came into the room,
"Ok Agent Booth, Dr Sweets we will be going live in four minutes any questions?" Booth ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head, he sat down next to Sweets and picked up a photograph he held it to his chest praying this would bring the woman he loved and his child home."
A make-up artist brushed powder across the anchor woman's nose and forehead before scurrying away. The sound and camera man took their places and with a five finger countdown they were live on air.
"Good morning America, today we are at the Jeffersonian institute in Washington DC to speak to FBI Agent Seeley Booth and Doctor Lance Sweets about the current arrest warrant being held for world renowned author and forensic anthropologist Doctor Temperance Brennan. Agent Booth it was your partners publisher that arranged this interview for you, could you please explain to us why you chose to speak to Good Morning America about this case?"
"Good morning Emily, I would to say I am not involved in this case and I am not here to talk to you about the case I am here to talk to you about Dr Temperance Brennan, the woman I love and the mother of my child. There has been wild speculation in the press as to bones' guilt and myself and Sweets are here to show the nation what sort of woman she, show America that she not a killer. If I could I would like to ask Doctor Sweets to explain the reason for the arrest warrant"
"Of course Agent Booth – but I would like to ask did you just refer to Dr Brennan as Bones?"
Booth Nodded "Yes... Yes I did, because from the day that I met her she has taken the bones of people who have been killed and she treated them like the most precious thing in the world, she has given them back their Identity and given closure to their families, we are currently sat in a room with pictures of just some of the people that she has given back the identities of – there are so many more that they could not all be fitted in this room, that is why I call her Bones. Sweets would you like to outline the Pelant case please?" Booth breathed a sigh of relief and looked again at the photograph, this was going to work, it had too. Next to him Sweets was outlining the Pelant case how he had killed a close friend of Brennan's and framed her for the crime, the fact that he was a computer genius meant that once she was arrested and in the system he could do whatever he wanted to her and probably put her life at risk, therefore for hers and her daughters safety they had fled, he explained that she left Booth behind as him being their accomplice would have destroyed his lively hood and she knew she could not take that away from him.
The reporter looked stunned the FBI had never released any information of this theory only the story of Brennan's guilt. Looking from Booth to Sweets, Emily chose her next words carefully,
"Am I correct in believing that there was a case in the last week which it was originally believed could have been Doctor Brennan?" Booth took a deep breath he had been dreading this part
"Yes there was – this scene had been set up with the skeletons of three individuals left with items similar to those owned by Bones and Christine, who upon DNA results we discovered were a family who had died in a gas leak nearly a month ago and their bodies had been stolen from the chapel of rest" Emily looked shocked shaking her head in disbelief she waited for Booth to continue "We believe this was intended to shock us into stopping our protest for Bones' innocence"
"So there was no chance that this could have been an elaborate staging of their own deaths?" Sweets decided to field this one.
"Most definitely not! Dr Brennan has a respect for life that in unshakable – she would not mutilate the remains in this way, also on a purely intellectual level Dr Brennan is a forensic genius she would not have made the elementary mistakes that this killer made, for example, she would have known how to clean the bones of all the tissue that eventually lead to the DNA results. Also the message written on the mirror in blood, now you see me now you don't, is undoubtedly designed as a taunting of Agent Booth after Dr Brennan's disappearance."
Emily looked shell shocked, like many people she only knew what the FBI had said and assumed that this was the case, she looked at Booth.
"Well agent Booth we are running out of time is there and closing message you would like to give"
"Yes I would actually Emily, Bones if you're watching this I love you and I will always love you and Christine and we are going to do everything we can to bring you home and he will be punished for this. We all miss you Bones and there is a void that won't be filled until you are back here with us. I love you Temperance" Booth head dropped forward as he fort back tears, he would not cry on television.
"Thank you very much Agent Booth, Dr Sweets. I'm Emily Reinfeld reporting from the Jeffersonian Institute"
"AND CUT!" the director shouted Booth Sagged into his seat, Sweets sat forward to speak to him,
"Well done Seeley" placed his hand on Booths trembling shoulder Angela ran into the room and flung her arms around him.
"We'll get this bastard sweetie – we'll get him I promise, she's coming home and Pelant will pay for this" Booth looked her in the eye a glimmer of a tear sitting on his cheek "Come on" she said standing up and beckoning to the two men "Let's go and have a coffee" They exited the office dodging round a few techies taking away camera equipment. Outside of the office door Booth and Sweets were met by a round of applause from the entire Jeffersonian team, Hodgins stepped forward,
"I'm proud of you buddy and your right she is coming home" Booth was still to choked up to talk but nodded his appreciation and walked away towards the Jeffersonian cafeteria.
Half an hour later Booth sat drinking his third cup of coffee with Angela and Sweets, he still felt drained and had a feeling that as soon as his boss got wind of this he was going to be in trouble, So he was not at all surprised when his mobile rang, he answered on the second ring,
"Booth?"
"Agent Booth, its Genny Shaw, I thought you would like to know that since your interview this morning our phones haven't stopped ringing with people asking us why Dr Brennan has been persecuted in this way and why Pelant has not been charged. Flynn is going mental, your plan worked Sir, I have a feeling Dr Brennan and your daughter will be home in no time!
"Thanks, Thanks for the update Genny, I'll see you later" with that he hung up a smile spread across his face.
"We won guys the American public is on our side, Pelant is going to be put through hell, he will end up messing up and when he does, I'll be there to catch him" and a wry smile spread across his face.
BONES
My Dearest Booth
Two days ago I saw your Interview on Good Morning America; I have to say I was beyond shocked to see you and Sweets on the screen. I cried, you and Sweets both put your careers on the line to clear my name and that was incredibly brave of you both.
I must say that yesterday I went to the store to get Christine some more diapers and a woman stopped me on the street holding a clip board and a photo of myself and Christine asking me to sign a petition to prove my innocence and bring me home. I was glad that my disguise had stood up to someone who was holding a photograph of me.
I now know that, with you fighting for me I shall return home soon and we will be a family again.
I love you Seeley
Forever yours
Temperance
FINI