Once again, thank you for all the lovely reviews. I do want to take a moment to give a shout out to AchingBones, who always takes the time to give me a lovely review, no matter the story. So, thank you.

Chapter Seven

No words were exchanged between the partners as they left the lab, got into Gunn's FBI SUV, and headed out to the Mall. Once parked, they exited the vehicle and began walking along the paths next to the reflecting pool. Showing uncharacteristic restraint, Brennan allowed Gunn to gather his thoughts before speaking.

"You knew Booth well before all this." It wasn't a question.

Inhaling sharply through his nose, Gunn nodded. "Yes. We went through Quantico together. He saved my career and my sanity, in more ways than you can imagine."

Smiling slightly, Brennan hazarded a glance his way. "That sounds just like Booth."

As they headed further away from the Washington Memorial, Gunn relayed his first meeting with Booth, their instant friendship forged while training to be FBI agents, and Booth's involvement in his physical therapy during his injury. Sensing something was being left out, Brennan nudged a bit.

"There's something else, isn't there?"

Giving Brennan a sidelong gaze, Gunn smiled. "Booth was right; you're a lot more intuitive than you give yourself credit for."

"Booth said that?" The thought made her irrationally happy.

"Oh yeah. Among other things." Gunn raised an eyebrow at her. "But anyway…I said that Booth saved my sanity. And he did." Shaking his head, he grimaced. "You know the FBI has a very old school tough guy attitude, right? Holdover from the days of Eliot Ness, I suppose."

"Yes. Anthropologically, the governmental hierarchy attached to law enforcement agencies is usually dominated by the most outgoing, biologically superior alpha males. The FBI is no exception. I suspect that is why Booth was revered among the other agents."

"Was revered? You mean is revered." Gunn didn't have to look to know Brennan wore a look of shock on her face.

"You knew? You knew Booth was alive and you didn't tell me?!?" Brennan pushed him from behind, her momentum so angry and unexpected that he actually stumbled a bit.

"Brennan! Calm down. I didn't know until you asked me about Eliphalet. I swear!" He dusted off his bruised pride at almost being taken out by a woman half his size and tried to calm her down. "Temperance. I promise you, I didn't know."

Still breathing heavy from indignation, Brennan glared back. "What does it mean? Eliphalet."

"The Remington rifle was designed by Eliphalet Remington."

Stunned, Brennan stopped walking. "Remington rifle. A gun. Gunn. Booth knew you would be around." Shaking with irritation, she clenched her hands into fists. "Did he also know there would be an attempt on his life? Did he know about this whole ruse? Again?"

"I don't think so, Doc. I really don't. Booth said that if something like this happened again he would tell you, and I think this is his way of doing that."

"But…you knew?"

"I knew something like this might happen, and so did Booth. A long time ago we worked out a system of clues to alert the other if there was danger; if we needed help, if we were involved in something that got us in over our heads…we tried to prepare for every eventuality."

"And your clue from Booth was your name."

"Yes. I knew as soon as you asked me about it that it was Booth trying to get to me. And now I have to ask…was this his first communication?" Gunn saw the flush on her cheeks and the guilt in her eyes and knew it wasn't.

"Alright then. How did he contact you?"

For the next half hour, Brennan relayed all of Booth's messages and their meanings, ignoring Gunn's chuckle at her choice of pig moniker. "Pigs are very clean animals, despite their reputations."

Smiling despite herself, Brennan felt relieved to be able to share the news of Booth's un-demise with someone else. "You said earlier that Booth saved your sanity."

Gunn nodded. "I told you we met at Quantico, which is true. But my dad…he was an Army Ranger. Served in Kosovo."

"Oh. Booth served under him?"

"Yeah. Quite the coincidence. We talked about how my dad was disappointed in me for not following in his footsteps…and for being gay. I hadn't spoken to my dad in almost ten years at that point, and Booth was a sympathetic ear. Someone who knew us both but wasn't in the position to judge. It was cathartic, in more ways than you can imagine." Gunn stopped and considered his next words. "A few weeks after my little revelation, we had a weekend off, and Booth disappeared for the entire two days. I just assumed that he met a woman and decided to spend the time off in bed." He had the grace to flush at her. "Sorry."

"Not at all."

"Anyway. When he came back Sunday night, he had a small cut on his eye, said he got it walking into a door when he was drunk. I didn't have any reason to doubt him, until two days later. When my dad called me, wanting to talk."

"Oh. Ohhh." Brennan shook her head. "That man…"

"Yeah. I met with Dad at a bar that night. He came in with a black eye, busted lip and a limp."

Brennan roared in amusement at the implication. "Oh no! He beat up your dad?" She bent at the waist, laughter shaking her frame. "Well, we definitely have something in common now!"

"Booth told me about the fight he had with your dad." Gunn laughed with her. "Said your old man got him good in the jewels, too."

Brennan stopped laughing and scrunched up her face. "The jewels?"

"Testicles."

This made Brennan laugh even harder. "I can't believe my dad…" She wiped her eyes and tried to control herself and get back to the topic at hand. "Anyway, you and your dad talked?"

Gunn smiled. "Yes. We had an honest, man-to-man talk and things got a little better after that."

"And that's why you owe your sanity to Booth?"

Gunn's eyes were distant. "Dad died three weeks later. Massive heart attack."

Tears sprung unbidden to Brennan's eyes as she touched his arm. "I am so sorry."

"Thanks. But yeah, that definitely saved my sanity. If Booth hadn't gotten my dad to call me, I would have never spoken to him again. He would have been gone and there wouldn't have been any chance for us to make amends. And for that, I will always be in Booth's debt. It's something I can never repay."

The partners walked in silence side by side along the sidewalk, both thinking of the ways they owed the man who brought them together, and how they were going to do everything in their power to help him now, when he needed them most.