AN: Yes I'm hustling through this story because I can't wait to start the next one. There's probably only one more chapter after this one, and I know you're dying to find out what's going to happen. Well, you'll find out, so I won't keep you from this for any longer.
"Baby, you need to talk to me, okay? I need you to tell me what's going on so I can help you out." Max rubbed soothing circles on his daughter's back as she took gasping breaths, trying to calm down from her outburst in the car. They sat on a bench outside of a Tennessee Welcome Center as Russ and Amy kept the girls occupied with games on a grassy area nearby.
"Caroline said that someone found a marriage license submitted to the county clerk's office with Booth and my name on it, but we didn't submit any paperwork. We filled out what was required at the bed and breakfast for the room, but that's all. It doesn't make any sense." Max frowned. The only thing he'd been required to sign for his room was the room registry.
"What exactly was this paperwork that you filled out?"
"I'm assuming it was records related to our stay." Temperance sniffled a little and wiped away a stray tear. She didn't like to lose control, and now it seemed that control was evading her completely.
"The front desk clerk, she asked the pair of you if you were married, didn't she?"
"Yes, but she said she was just making conversation. You don't think that she had us fill out paperwork for a marriage license do you?" Brennan stood and began to pace, clenching her hands into fists as she did so. "That had to be what happened. She must have had us fill out the paperwork all because of that archaic law. How can a marriage be legal when we didn't even know that we were married?"
"Honey, I think the best thing to do right now is for us to get to Memphis and work this out with Booth."
"I don't want to involve him until his case is over. He has enough to worry about right now."
"Temperance, he's your husband, even if the legality is in question, he's your husband. This is not something that you take care of without his involvement. He's in this whole thing as much as you are."
"Ugh, this is exactly why I'm against marriage. I don't want to have to answer to anyone for a decision I make." Max looked at his daughter and shook his head. At least the emotional breakdown was over.
"Sweetheart, I think you have the wrong idea about marriage."
"What's wrong with what I think? Why do we need to get married in the first place? Why would I need a piece of paper to prove a commitment to someone?"
"That's not what marriage is about."
"No, it has its roots in ownership and possession." Max started laughing.
"Oh honey, do you honestly think that your mother would ever have belonged to anyone, least of all me? We were partners in everything. That's what marriage is; it's a partnership in life. You and Booth were already halfway there. There's nothing bad about sharing yourself with someone that way."
"Well obviously it doesn't matter whether I want to be married or not," Brennan huffed and crossed her arms. "I'm going to fight this."
XxXxX
Booth stood outside of Trisha Brody's house, a grim expression on his face. He had a local police officer with him to make the arrest of the young woman. With a determined stride, he approached the front door and knocked. It took a moment for the door to open, but when she opened the door, Trisha smiled at the FBI agent.
"Agent Booth, is there something else I can do for you?"
"Trisha Brody, I'm putting you under arrest for the murder of Bill Lightfoot Brody." Booth placed his hand onto her shoulder to turn her and cuff her.
"No!" She grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back. His head slammed down on the tile a moment before the rest of his body made it. As stars filled his vision, he heard a shot ring out and someone hit the floor.
Sitting up, he shook his head and blinked his eyes to clear the dizziness. As his vision cleared he found himself face to face with the barrel of a gun.
"Trisha, put the gun away."
"No. You don't understand, I'm not going to go to jail. I'm not going for something that's his fault."
"Who's fault?" Booth kept still while the barrel of the gun remained trained on him. His mind went into overdrive as scenarios for escape from the situation. Trisha was close to hyperventilating, and her face was bright red with rage.
"If my father had kept his nose out of my business, he'd still be here. He didn't know what I wanted. I didn't want his help. I didn't need his help. I can make my way in the business on my own, but he didn't seem to think so. He thought they'd play me, wouldn't give me my due. I had to prove that I can take care of myself."
"So you beat him down with a barbed wire cover two by four?"
"You just don't understand!" She waved the gun wildly in the air. Booth took the opportunity to pull his own gun and trained it on the distraught woman.
"Put the gun down Trisha." His steely gaze locked with hers as she raised her own gun to her head. "Come on, it's not worth it. Just put it…" He didn't get to complete the sentence as she pulled the trigger and collapsed dead on the floor.
XxXxX
"Ms. Julian said that you were concerned about the validity of your nuptials," Sarah Jackson, a divorce lawyer said to Temperance over the phone. Brennan sat on the balcony of her hotel room as she spoke to the attorney. Inside the television was on, though she wasn't paying attention to the gossip show that was playing.
"Yes, the circumstances behind the marriage are a bit suspect, and I wanted to determine for certain whether it was legal."
"Well, I looked up Alabama state law, and as Ms. Julian said since it's still on the books, it is legal so long as a marriage license is turned in within three days."
"That makes no sense though. We didn't know that we were filling out a marriage license. Shouldn't that challenge the validity?"
"Technically Dr. Brennan, you should know the laws of any state or country before you visit."
"So the marriage is completely valid?"
"Yes."
"Well what do we need to do to get an annulment?"
"I can draft the paperwork for you and have it ready when you get back to Washington."
"Thank you so much Ms. Jackson."
"Of course Dr. Brennan. Just give me a call if you have anymore questions." As the call ended, Brennan stepped into her room and flopped down on the bed. She closed her eyes and blew out a breath as she felt a measure of control returning to her situation. She turned to her side and faced the television, listening to the entertainment report playing on the gossip show.
"You might recall last week that we mentioned the death of legendary wrestler Bill Lightfoot Brody," the host said and Brennan opened her eyes to watch the report. "Well we've just received some more information regarding his death. The murderer was identified as Trisha Brody, Bill Lightfoot's daughter. When arresting officer Seeley Booth showed up, Trisha put up a fight, injured a second officer and took her own life."
"Oh my god, Booth," she murmured and sat up. She grabbed her phone and began to dial his number but stopped as the next bit of news came on.
"Seeley Booth you might remember is the husband of best selling author Temperance Brennan. Questions were raised about their marital state when Dr. Brennan issued a statement claiming a mistake had been made and a few days later a marriage license filed with the Jackson County, Alabama clerk's office was discovered." Brennan grabbed the remote and turned off the television. The whole situation was getting way out of control and it seemed that nothing could stop it. One thing was for sure though, if Booth witnessed a suspect kill themselves, then she needed to be there for him. She hopped off of the bed and pulled her suitcase out of the closet. As much as she wanted to finish off her vacation, it was much more important to be elsewhere.
XxXxX
It was after midnight before Booth was able to get home. He was tired and had a headache from banging his head on the tile entryway of Trisha Brody's home. He'd been examined by the EMTs and let go once it was determined that he was okay. Now, the only thing he wanted was to get some sleep.
As he pulled the door to his apartment open he knew immediately that something was off. It wasn't so much that the place was unlocked or anything was out of place, but something wasn't right. He found out what that something was when he rounded out of the foyer and found Brennan asleep on the couch.
He stepped up to the couch and dropped down, brushing an errant strand of hair from her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him.
"You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he murmured before dropping a kiss onto her lips. Brennan sat up and wrapped her arms around him.
"I heard what happened today. I'm sorry you had to witness that." Temperance kissed his cheek and pulled back far enough to look at his face. "Are you okay?"
"I am now baby. Thank you for coming back."
"There's no way I would stay away. I love you so much Booth."
"Then Temperance, will you stay married to me?"
