Title: Invicta
Summary: Before the investigation could even start, Booth stumbles across a girl who was only a memory, causing Brennan to re-evaluate what he means to her.
I own nothing. Sometimes even the thoughts aren't mine.
A/N:This is my first foray into Bones, so please forgive me if I butcher it entirely. I've previously written House stuff, and if you've read anything I've done, you know I have a thing for secret relatives. Basically, they're my pawns to tell stories I want to tell without really having to stay within the confines of the show. I try to stay true to the show, however, as much as possible.
"Invicta" is the feminine form of one of my favorite Latin words, Invictus, which means invincible or unconquerable. That word applies to everything in this story: Love, family, and especially our heroes. And it just so happens that Invictus is my favorite poem. I had an elementary school teacher make my class memorize it years and years ago and it just occurred to me now that it has a message that is probably not all too unfamiliar to our heroes. I bet they know the poem too.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
-Invictus, William Ernest Henley
Booth held up the caution tape and Brennan passed gracefully under it. It was mid-morning, but the overcast sky lent itself to a sense of foreboding and uncertainty.
"Why are we here?" Brennan observed the façade of the building they were standing in front of. "This a bar?"
"Sure." Booth nodded. "It's called Filibusters. And it is actually a four star restaurant."
"Uh huh." She took in the dark stairwell down to an indistinct brown door with a deep breath.
"If by four star cuisine they mean Rat Tartar…" Booth mumbled, unknowingly stating Brennan's exact thoughts.
They carefully made their way down the slick steps and quickly the red and blue flashing police lights seems to disappear as they descended into darkness. Booth tentatively reached for the handle before it swung open and an unassuming police officer stood on the other side.
"Agent Booth? Doctor Brennan?" He asked with a smile before Booth could even produce his badge. They nodded in tandem. "Oh we've got bones for you." His grin spread from ear to ear as he ushered them in.
They climbed down another dark staircase and as they reached the bottom, the darkness faded into a warm, cheery glow. To their left was a large mahogany bar with plush bar stools in front and a multitude of liquor behind. In front of the bar was a sweeping expanse of floor space with little tables peppered throughout. With a low whistle, Booth looked up. Brennan followed his finger and looked up to a u-shaped balcony, encompassing the entire bar. Up there, they saw tables and chairs set for dinner service.
"Agent Booth?" The police officer interrupted their marveling. "This is Ed Ream, the owner."
He stepped aside and pulled a short, round man in front of them. He was balding, Booth took a guess that he was in his late 50s. He nervously took off this glasses and began wiping them on his shirt tail.
"Uh, FBI?" He asked nervously. "Look, I really need to be open tonight… if word gets out there was a dead body here…" He shook his head.
"Mr. Ream, where is the victim?" Brennan asked sharply
"Behind the bar." He pointed quickly than crossed his arms "But before anything else is said, I want to let you know I had the day off yesterday, I've got witnesses too." He nodded nervously. "But I called in the manager who closed last night. She should be here soon." He shot a smile behind Booth and Brennan and they slowly turned around to see what he was smiling at. "There she is, the little firecracker."
"Ream!" A petite female with rounded facial features, a short, polished blond bob, and wearing jeans and a George Washington University Law sweatshirt bounded down the last few steps. "I'm missing my Forensic Law mid-term, so this better be-" The book bag that had been draped over her shoulder slowly dropped to the floor. "FBI? You called the FBI? Why would they care if we got robbed?"
"We weren't robbed." Ed Ream shifted nervously. A murder happened here last night and in his mind, even though the blond was his favorite employee, he had no way of knowing if she was involved. "Kelly, this is Agent Booth and Doctor Brennan."
Kelly picked up her book bag and brushed past them, heading for the flight of stairs that led to the balcony.
"Is she running away?" Ed asked, still nervous for his prized manager.
"No." Booth said brusquely and pushed past Ed and followed quickly.
"I'm going to look at the remains now." Brennan called out after Booth and he waved his hand in the air as he ascended the steps. "Do have any idea who it is?" Brennan turned her attention back to Ed. "The body." She reminded
"Uh, no…" He shrugged. "I mean, I came in this morning and was setting up for lunch and I went into the fridge to do inventory and a mess of…" he shuttered "Grossness just fell out."
"The technical term is-" She started to explain but quickly noticed that it was useless. Ed was already nervously looking around calculating how long he had until dinner service should start.
Brennan sighed in frustration and continued to the remains behind the bar. Ed was right. Flowing out of the large refrigerator underneath the bar was a pile of grossness.
*
Booth carefully wove his way though the maze of tables chasing after the blond manager. He found her slouched on the floor in front of the door marked "office".
"I forgot my keys." She explained as he came up to her
"You should know you're a suspect."
"For what?" She looked up sharply
"There was a body found this morning." He stayed ten feet away, hovering around her.
"Well that's nice that all murder victims get the special attention of the FBI." She sneered
"The Health Department called it in." He explained.
"Surprise inspection?" She asked and Booth nodded. "What are the chances… the one day there's a dead body here…"
"Do you know anything about it?"
"If I did, do you think I would tell you?" She crossed her arms. "Traitor."
"This is serious, Kelly! Murder!" Booth shouted. "You're going to tell me right now if you had anything to do with this!"
Below them, Kelly heard the constant mumbling of the police and officials stop for a brief second, but it quickly started again.
"I'm in law school now." She said standing up. "I know my rights."
"You're requesting a lawyer?" He stepped back in amazement "I'm not even questioning you."
"No, you're letting me being here cloud your judgment." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm a prime suspect. So either you're going to take me in or you're going to let me go." She smiled a little "And if this thing ever goes to trial, anything I give you can be thrown out as inadmissible evidence because of consanguinity. Any good defense attorney would see that."
"Damn it, Kelly." Booth swore through clenched teeth as she brushed by him, heading for the stairs down. "Don't make me do this." He pleaded as he chased after her. "Kelly, this is stupid." She had started down the stairs and as Booth went to grab her arm, she nimbly moved out of his reach. "I really don't think you're capable of murder, not the Kelly I knew."
"That's just the problem." She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around to look up at him. "You don't know me at all. You had no intention of knowing who I am now and you made that very clear."
As Booth stood there in stunned silence, Kelly whirled around and approached the nearest field agent.
"You might want to call the FBI and get a new lead agent on this case." The agent looked at the petite blond with amusement. "Tell them that Agent Seeley Booth cannot complete his duties here because his little sister is the prime suspect."
At that moment, Brennan's head popped up from behind the bar and her eyes flew from Booth to the bar manager, quickly analyzing the situation.
"Kelly, don't walk away." Booth called out. "I'm warning you."
Without looking back, Kelly walked towards the front door.
"Don't make me do it." He called out one more time with a tone of desperation. Kelly kept walking. Taking a deep breath, Booth called out, "I don't care who does it, but somebody arrest her."
Police officers and FBI field agents all hesitated, but as Kelly turned around and smiled sadly at Booth, the police officer who had first welcomed Booth and Brennan took out his handcuffs and placed them on Kelly's wrists.
"You have the right to-"
"I know my rights, thank you." She nodded but she never took her eyes off of Booth. He was standing across the room, muttering something to one of the FBI agents. The agent made her way across the room and gently took Kelly's arm.
"You're coming with me." She said, almost apologetically
"I know." Kelly nodded her head. As she was turned and led up the stairs, she never took her eyes off of Booth.