A/N: Thanks so much to all of you that reviewed. It is such an unbelievable feeling to see reviews from authors whose stories I have been reading and loving. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to alert lists… it keeps me motivated to go on and keep writing.

Chapter Two

Christmas Day ended up being both uneventful and enjoyable for Booth and Brennan. They had made their Mac and Cheese – though often arguing as they attempted to work together in the kitchen – exchanged Christmas presents and then spent the rest of the evening having a few beers while flipping through some of the various Christmas specials and movies that were being aired. Booth had finally left around 10pm and they had talked about maybe meeting for dinner at Wong Foo's the following night.

Booth knew it was unlikely they would be catching any new cases before the New Year and he was looking forward to having a few days off. That was one of the benefits of being middle-level in the FBI, as during the holidays all the newer agents were on duty and assigned most of the incoming cases, unless they were high profile involving the mob or human trafficking, which were automatically kicked to the higher ups in the agency. Plus, Booth knew Camille had alerted Cullen to the fact that all the squints were on holiday and would not be back until the 2nd of January.

When he and Brennan had first started working together, the idea was for it to be occasional. The purpose was to establish a good working relationship with the Jeffersonian and bring them in if cases called for their expertise. But as the months passed and he and Brennan established a good track record, almost all the cases assigned to him required the help of the Jeffersonian, something which allowed Brennan to be recognized as his partner.

And Booth wouldn't have it any other way.

Booth's morning had passed quickly and quietly. He had decided to work on taking down the Christmas decorations and he and Parker had quickly put up, and worked on finishing up some paperwork from his last few cases. He was just starting to think about heading over to the lab and forcing Brennan to break for lunch when his cell phone rang. Upon answering it, Booth was surprised when the caller identified himself as the Warden of the Federal Penitentiary. The warden got quickly to the point and explained that Max Keenan was insisting on speaking to Booth right away. After making the necessary arrangements for their meeting, Booth hung up the phone and took a few minutes to think.

Booth hadn't seen Max since arresting him and had absolutely no idea why he now wanted a meeting.

'Should I call Bones?' The question plagued him as he thought about the situation. His mind immediately said yes. She was Max's daughter and if something was going on she needed to hear about it. But, his instinct said otherwise. Max was not a careless man and if he had wanted Brennan there, he would have specified that.

Deciding to go with his instinct – and hoping he didn't piss off Brennan in the process – Booth grabbed his stuff and headed out.

As Booth stepped into the visitors room that had been prepared for him, he couldn't help but sigh in frustration. He hated going into situations blind, and found himself on edge as a result of not knowing what Max wanted.

Max was already sitting on his side of the table and Booth motioned to the guards that they could leave the room as he slipped into the seat across from him.

"I wondered if you would bring Tempe." Max began, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"You asked for me," Was Booth's simple reply, unsure of what to say to the man in front of him.

"Well, first I want to thank you for Christmas Eve. The tree was really great, and I know you probably had a lot to do with convincing my daughter to give up Peru."

Booth shrugged, "It was nothing."

"No," Max said forcefully, "it was something. Having a family Christmas for the first time in sixteen years meant a lot to me, and I could tell it meant a lot to Tempe as well. Thank you."

Slightly embarrassed by being praised by someone he had both fought and arrested, Booth changed the subject. "So, why did you want to see me Max?"

Max's expression suddenly turned wistful and he remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "Do you know, that Christmas Eve was the first time in sixteen years I have seen Tempe truly be herself in a social setting? She's always been confident, which I've got to tell you, I am proud of her for, but never really at ease. She's always hiding behind her degrees and titles and is always serious. She never lets anyone see the real her. I don't mean her intelligence or intellect, but her emotions and feelings. But Christmas Eve was different. She actually laughed and talked to the girls and Amy, and at the end of the night even hugged everyone. For those few hours I really got a chance to see the old Temperance and what's been missing in her all these years." Max paused for a second and eyed Booth, "But I imagine you're the exception. You do get to see the real her, she lets you in. Probably most of it's done in private and away from everyone else, but you're the one person she will let her guard down with."

Though not understanding where Max was going with all of this, Booth did notice the familiar way in which he was addressing Temperance… almost as if he hadn't been absent for the past sixteen years. Booth looked at Max in confusion, "You talk as if you've seen first hand how Temperance has been since you disappeared." And when Max said nothing in response, Booth narrowed his eyes. "Wait a second, are you telling me all these years you were keeping tabs on her?"

Leaning forward Max looked Booth straight in the eyes. "You're a father. If someone was after you and you had to leave your son – that cute little boy I saw standing beside you on Christmas Eve – in order to keep him safe, wouldn't you keep tabs on him? Watch from a distance and make sure he was safe?" When Booth didn't answer, Max took that as a sign of agreement and went on speaking.

"I did keep track of both of them and let me tell you it wasn't easy. To stand by and watch powerlessly as your son gets caught up with the wrong crowd and is eventually arrested. To see Temperance passed around to various foster families and watch as she became more and more closed off." Max shook his head, and sighed. "Do you have any idea how her mother and I felt when we found out Russ had taken off and left Tempe in foster care? It took all my self control not to come out of hiding to throttle him and get her out. But I couldn't. Just as I had to stand by and do nothing when she ended up in one home with an abusive foster brother. Do you think I liked being powerless in my daughter's life?"

Thinking of what Temperance had had to endure in the system caused Booth to grow angry and he suddenly snapped, "But you weren't powerless Max. You had other options. You didn't need to just abandon them."

Max sighed, "Maybe there were other options. But I stand by our decision – because it kept them safe. Of course I spent years questioning what we did. It killed me to watch Temperance graduate high school and then work her way to grad school, and not be able to let her know how proud I was of her. But, every time I stood in the back of those graduation ceremonies, I reminded myself that she and Russ were safe. And now sixteen years later, they are both alive. That's all that matters to me. As a parent you should understand that."

"Why am I here Max?" Booth asked warily.

But Max ignored him and continued talking about his daughter. "From the time she was born, Temperance was never typical. She learned everything, from how to walk and talk to read and write, faster then Russ, or any other kids her age. But that doesn't mean she wasn't normal. While she was never really the girly type, she did have her dolls and did have dreams of getting married and having her own happily ever after like her mother and I."

"Things change…" Booth muttered softly.

"Yes they do. Now, I know my daughter doesn't put much stock in psychology, but I do. And I know that if we hadn't left her, she wouldn't have become the woman that she is today. There are rare times when I take comfort in the fact that this is a good thing because Temperance is smart, strong and confident. She stands up for herself and is pretty good at defending herself too." Max chuckled, "Hell, even if I was 30 years younger she could probably kick my ass. But, most of the time all I see is how being abandoned caused her to become so closed off."

Booth was growing uncomfortable with talking about his partner like this. So again he asked, "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"You've changed her Booth, more then I ever thought possible. Before you came into her life all she had was her job and Angela. Sure there were men, but aside from that moron Michael nothing was ever serious. She had no life… but worst of all she had no feelings about not having one. There was never a sense that she regretted it, or wished for it to be some other way, instead she just accepted it. You changed that. You helped her begin to live, and slowly signs of the old Tempe came back. For the first time in years there was life in her eyes again and she was smiling. And, no matter how much she tries to push you away, you are always there for her."

Max paused and studied Booth for a second before continuing. "I know you're in love with my daughter Booth."