A/N: Once again, I apologize for the delay between postings. Just know that the story has been plotted out and my faithful sounding boards: xfilesfan4eva and jaimesbones have unanimously voted their confidence and enthusiasm for where this story is headed. This chapter in particular is dedicated to xfilesfan4eva in honor of her birthday, Happy Birthday Yoda!
That being said, some things may happen in the coming chapters that you might not necessarily like but I promise that eventually all will be revealed and everything happens for a reason. Stick with me and I promise to do my best to do right by you always! xoxox
Chapter 8:
"What Might Have Been"
After finally convincing Booth to shower while she waited, Caroline wandered about his living room sipping her tea and making herself comfortable. Looking around with a practiced eye, she saw overwhelming evidence that without a shadow of a doubt, cemented the fact that these two unlikely people shared a deep love and commitment to each other.
Photos of the two of them over the years along with more recent ones dotted the walls and surfaces. One particular one of the two of them and Booth's young son Parker caught her eye and with her free hand she picked it up to get a closer look.
In the photo, a very pregnant Dr Brennan was allowing Parker to feel her swollen stomach. The look of wonder and awe on the boy's face as he presumably felt the baby moving, almost rivaled the look between the two partners.
Dr Brennan was smiling somewhat shyly as she looked over the boy's head at Booth, her eyes twinkling and the glow in her face radiating the happiness she was so obviously feeling. Booth was staring raptly at her, his smile full of awe and unrestrained delight as his large hand covered his son's small one.
Someone had captured that moment so perfectly. The scene was so intimate and full of love that she almost felt guilty witnessing it.
Her heart, the one that she hid so well most days, broke for the pain that she knew these two were going through. They both had already been through so much hurt and pain in the years before finally, finally getting to this place.
After seven years of working together she had actually grown quite fond of Dr Brennan (even if she was a squint!) And she had watched Booth climb the ranks of the FBI, never losing his sense of honor or integrity. He was the real deal or as Miss Montenegro-Hodgins had once put it, "a shining knight in standard FBI issued armor."
She admired both of them and to be honest, she felt she deserved at least some of the credit in getting them together. After all, she had rescued Dr Brennan all those years ago back in New Orleans from murder charges and she had arranged that steamy kiss between the two of them several Christmases ago not to mention bringing them back together from opposite corners of the earth after their disastrous attempt to be apart…
They were the real deal. The kind of love most people only dreamed about. But she of all people knew that sometimes love wasn't enough. After all, it hadn't been for her.
She heard the shower stop just as her phone vibrated. The sound startled her out of her reminiscing causing her coffee to slosh over the side of her cup and onto her hand. Biting back a curse, Caroline replaced the photo frame and flipping open the phone she barked, "This better be good!"
After hearing what the person on the other end said though, Carolyn had only one word to say as she hung up. "Shit…"
Cam paced the length of her office as she waited for the rest of her staff to arrive at the early morning meeting she had arranged the night before. She had said nothing to them about what she had seen or heard at Booth's but she knew that it was possible that they would have heard the news from another source by now.
She needed to change their focus from "why" to "how do we fix this?" and she needed to do it quickly. At the rate they were going, there wouldn't be a team left if they didn't put on their collective thinking hats and figure out a way to stop Pelant once and for all.
The issue as she saw it was that even though she genuinely liked and respected Dr. Brennan, and considered her to be a close personal friend, she was both unable and unwilling to put not only her but also, the Jeffersonian's reputation on the line. They needed to figure out a way out of this that was both legal and successful but she hadn't a clue where to start.
So she continued to pace the small confines of her office as she mulled the situation and the possible solutions they could explore.
A discreet cough from the doorway drew her attention and she looked up. Her entire staff, including the interns and one slightly immature but brilliant shrink, stood there watching her. Flustered at being caught in what she considered a moment of weakness, she quickly stopped where she was and crossed the room to her desk. Perching on the corner and grabbing a stapler to keep her nervous hands busy, she gestured all of them into the room.
Seeing their eyes upon her almost made her falter but she was a professional and they had a job to do. So she did it. The only way she knew how.
"You are all aware already that Dr. Brennan has been depicted as a person of interest in this case, correct?" she asked. Without waiting for an affirmative answer, she continued.
"What you may not be aware of," she began, "is the fact that as of last night, she is also officially a suspect and… that a warrant was issued for her arrest." At the sounds of protest from the group, Cam held a hand up to silence them and continued, "But before the warrant could be executed, it appears that Dr. Brennan fled… taking Christine with her."
Suddenly the cacophony was overwhelming and they were all speaking and arguing at once. Cam watched almost helplessly while wondering how in the hell they were ever going to be able to act as a team to solve the case if they couldn't even get this part right? She brought her hand up to rub at the throbbing in her head.
Out of the blue, a shrill whistle split the air and immediately everyone silenced and turned toward the source of the noise. Angela stood slightly apart from the group and looking decidedly more dangerous than Cam had ever seen before she stalked to mere inches from Cam's position.
Cam was prepared for the wrath of her anger. She understood and expected it. A part of her felt like a traitor for turning over the evidence against Dr. Brennan that had led them here. She straightened and waited for the verbal blows she knew would be soon to come.
They didn't though. Instead, Angela stared into her eyes and said simply in a confident tone that bore no tolerance for argument, "Brennan didn't do this. You know this. I know this. Instead of arguing we need to figure out a way to prove once and for all that Brennan is innocent and find evidence to lock that monster Pelant up before he can do any more damage." She looked at each member of the team in turn as she spoke.
Silence resounded in the room. Everyone stared at Angela, including Cam. Finally, feeling a little exasperated, Angela scoffed, "What?! Why are you all looking at me like that?! We have work to do!" And without any further discussion she turned and left the room, headed to her office.
Dumbfounded, everyone stared at each other in shock as they struggled to regain their wits. Finally, Cam snapped out her funk and clapped her hands once.
"Ok, people," she said. "You heard the lady, let's get to work." And just like that, they did. They all traipsed to their areas of the museum where they immediately began doing just as Angela had said and began trying to find the chinks in the armor of the case.
Cam turned and sat in her chair as she stared blankly at the computer screen instead of focusing on unraveling the web of Pelant's lies. Something was bothering her about the conversation that had just taken place.
She continued to ponder what exactly had seemed off as she rolled a pen back and forth on her desk. Suddenly she stopped, realizing what should have been apparent immediately. Angela hadn't acted surprised in the least that Brennan was gone.
Instead she had immediately tried to re-focus the group on the task at hand. She couldn't possibly have known in advance that Brennan was going to leave could she?! After all, Booth was closer to her than anyone and he hadn't known!
Cam sat back in her chair as she pondered the possibilities. The longer she thought, the more questions she had. Her head began to throb. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out some ibuprofen. Should she tell Booth what she suspected? What if she was completely wrong? Would Brennan have put Angela in that position?
The questions swirled as she opened her water bottle and tossed the pills back. One thing was certain though, the Jeffersonian had a responsibility and a reputation to uphold no matter what. She had to make certain that they were all acting in accordance with the law. If Angela had known about Brennan that would make her an accomplice.
To try to get some answers before this whole thing erupted in her face, Cam made a quick phone call. "Hi, it's Cam," she said into her phone. "We need to talk. Do you have time later tonight?"
She hung up a few moments later, feeling only slightly better. One way or another she was determined to find the truth, but if she had a leak it would have to be dealt with as quickly and cleanly as possibly…
Far away, a woman was packing up her suitcase in a decrepit hotel while her hair towel dried. CNBC quietly droned in the background keeping her somewhat up to date on the news back home. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, a headline caught her attention.
Dropping the item in her hands immediately, she gasped and grabbed for the remote to the rickety old TV and turned the volume up. She stared entranced at the small screen.
"In other news, FBI officials in Washington charged renowned Author and Forensic Anthropologist, Dr Temperance Brennan, with the murder of several DC area people including Ezra Krane, Inger Johannsen, and Ethan Sawyer. Before officials were able to act and arrest Dr. Brennan, she fled leaving officials baffled as to her whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to call your local FBI office… "
The news continued but she wasn't listening any longer. She was caught in her memories of a not so distant past and a path not taken.
Suddenly she snapped out of her reverie and quickly opened her cell phone. Punching a few numbers into it, she spoke in a calm clear voice belying the calamity of her true feelings.
"Change of plans, get me a flight to D.C. immediately. I'll explain when I get there," was all she said as she spoke into the phone. She quickly made the necessary arrangements and hung up.
She then closed the phone and tossed it onto her bed as she quickly made her way back into the tiny bathroom to get dressed, all the while thinking about the past and the choices she had made….
Who's on the phone with Caroline? What did they say to her to get her so upset? Did Angela risk everything to help Brennan flee? Who's heading to DC and what will happen when she arrives? These questions and more will be answered in the coming chapters, keep reading to find out how this will all play out!
A/N: Again sorry about the delay. Remember reviews make me write faster lol (Hint, hint) I have several twists and turns plotted for this story that may make you a little uneasy. Give me a chance though, I promise that I don't believe you'll be disappointed if you stick with me! As always, thanks for reading,
~B
