Late that afternoon Benjamin Clarkston proved true to his word and showed up with a box containing William Sutherland's personal effects. He found Angela and Brennan in her office.

"Here's everything I kept of Mr. Sutherland's. There's some letters she sent him while he was in the war, a few pictures and a journal he kept. I haven't really gone through it, didn't seem right somehow. I just couldn't let them get trashed. He read her letters almost every day. He said it made him feel like she was still alive. Said it was like being in the war again."

Angela took the box placing it on the coffee table in front of her. She carefully opened it and began pulling items out.

"Thank you Mr. Clarkston for bringing this to us."

"Oh, you're welcome, I'm glad I could help. If someone hurt Mrs. Sutherland I want to help anyway I can. Would it be wrong to ask if I can have his stuff back after you've finished? I don't have a lot of family myself, so Mr. Sutherland was kind of important to me. I'd like to keep something to remember him by if that's ok."

"Of course. I'll make sure everything is sent to you after we've concluded our investigation. We will be very careful with the box and its contents."

"Thank you."

After Benjamin left, Angela looked up from the items she had been pulling out of the box. "Hey Bren, come and take a look at this."

Brennan sat beside her on the couch and Angela began showing Brennan letters tied up in a red ribbon, a marriage certificate and a stack of old photos. "Notice anything significant?"

Brennan carefully looked at the documents. "It would appear that William Sutherland was Caucasian and Rose Sutherland was African American."

"Yep, and it looks like they were married in Kansas. One of the very few states where it wasn't illegal in 1946."

At that moment Hodgins walked through the office door. "Based on the algae, sand particulates and one very cute newborn beetle, our victim entered the water around a park off of one of the tributaries north of the Potomac. Just a five minute cab ride from William Sutherland's home."

Brennan looked up from the papers in her lap. "Thank you Hodgins, I'll give Booth a call."

"While you're at it, you might want to mention this." Angela held out a key. "I found it in the bottom of the box."

"Can you see if you can find out what it unlocks? And if you could please finish going through the remaining contents, including reading the letters and the journal, we might find something that can tell us why Rose was murdered." Brennan stood up heading to her desk to call Booth.

Angela began putting the contents back in the box. "Hey, what is all of that you have there?" Hodgins peered over the back of the couch with interest.

"Some personal belongings of William Sutherland. Not only did the man face down the Nazis in Germany, he also faced down prejudice here in 1940's America." Angela held up a photograph of the couple.

"Wow, this guy had no fear."

"Don't idolize him so quickly." Brennan spoke up from her desk. "Let's not forget our victim was poisoned with her own medication. Rationally speaking those closest to her would have the most opportunity. That makes William Sutherland a suspect. Booth is going to send out a team to look for evidence near the park."

"Man Bren, always so quick with the rain cloud. Can't you give me a few minutes to wallow in the romance?"

"I just want everyone to remain objective, Angela."

"Don't worry Sweetie, we won't forget we have a murderer to catch. I'll let you know as soon as I have something on the key." Angela stood and walked out of Brennan's office, Hodgins following in her wake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angela set the box down at her desk and placed the key on her scanner. Hodgins walked to the desk and began sifting through the box.

"Hey, look at this, it's a Medal of Honor. That's the top of the medal food chain. Only forty percent were awarded to live recipients during World War II."

"Wow. I know Brennan said to lay off the hero worship, but the more I know about this man, the more I can't help myself."

"Yeah, it just doesn't fit that a man would fight so hard for his country and the woman he loves to give up like that. But that was sixty years ago. A lot could have changed since then."

"You didn't hear the way the orderly from the nursing home was talking about him. He could still inspire hero worship sixty years later. It doesn't sound like a lot has changed."

Hodgins put the medal back and turned to Angela. "Alzheimer's is a tough disease. Couples give up over less. We did."

"Maybe we didn't have what they had. Obviously we didn't face anything as difficult as separation during a world war or racial prejudices and look how easily we let go."

"I can't help but ask myself now, why did we let us go? Because honestly Ange, I can't remember anymore."

"It all happened so fast. One moment we were happy and planning the rest of our lives together and then the next we weren't. Why did we give up so easily? Why didn't we fight harder?"

"I don't know. But I do know this, life is too short to live with what ifs. And I don't want you to be a what if. It's ok for people to have doubts. But it's what you do about those doubts that's important. Sometimes you have to have faith in each other to get you through those times of uncertainties."

"But we had doubts about each other Jack. We didn't have faith."

"But that wasn't it, not really. I couldn't really understand why you, this amazingly free-spirited beautiful woman, would want me. And then when I met the guy you were giving up, I just couldn't help it, that insecurity got the better of me. But I know now. I know what we had. You know the old cliché, you don't realize what you had until it's gone. And I was the idiot that let it go."

"Well you know clichés are cliché for a reason. Who's to say we won't just give up again? Walk away? We did before."

"Because now I've seen what the future looks like without you. I will never throw it away again. If you give us another chance I promise you I'll never let you go without a fight again."

"Not without a fight huh? You know, the best sex is always make-up sex after a fight." Angela said stepping into his waiting arms.

"So I've been told."

"So that just means I may have to test that proclamation once in a while."

Hodgins smile could have singlehandedly powered the Eastern Seaboard. "Bring it on baby, I'm up for it."