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Back in D.C. Aubrey hurried from the parking garage to the fourth floor of the Hoover. With a quick side trip to the break room, he secured a cup of coffee and two candy bars from the vending machine. That first gulp of coffee gave him that caffeine jolt he needed. Making his way to Booth's office, he found the agent reading from a file. "I'm back." Settling on the chair in front of Booth's desk, he placed his mug on the desk and tore the wrapper off one of his candy bars. "You have time for me to go over what I found out or do want to wait for a report?"

Curious, Booth closed the folder and looked up. "Yeah go ahead and tell me."

After he swallowed his bite of candy, Aubrey leaned back against his chair. "Jim and Tiffany came over and talked to me when I showed up at the Richard's tent. They wanted to know what was going on, so I explained about the missing men and how Charles had become our prime suspect. Tiffany was in a state of shock about the whole thing, but her husband Jim seemed to accept what I was telling them like he knew what Charles had done."

"Did you talk to Jim about it?" Booth considered having Jim arrested, but he needed to know if that was necessary. "Did he really know what Charles was doing?"

Aubrey sipped some of his coffee and placed the mug back on the edge of the desk. "I don't think so. It's more like he knew there was something seriously wrong with his brother-in-law and he wasn't surprised that Charles could be capable of murder . . . kind of creepy if you ask me."

Slowly nodding his head, Booth leaned forward. "Did you find out anything that might be useful during the trial?"

The Agent pulled a small notebook from his jacket pocket and flipped it open. "Jim told me that Charles and Tiffany had an older sister. Nicole was 14 when she was kidnapped, raped and murdered. Jim said that Charles and Nicole were at the movies and during the movie she went to the restroom and didn't come back. He searched for her, but he couldn't find her and when he called his parents they came down to the theater and they called the police. The police found her body the next day. Jim told me that Charles' parents blamed him for her being kidnapped and killed and they never let him forget it . . . a pretty heavy burden for an eleven year old boy to live with."

"I guess he made himself Tiffany's guard dog to make sure that she was safe." Booth shook his head. "Maybe his lawyer can have him declared insane . . . Nine bodies that's a lot of crazy."

Disgusted with the whole thing, Aubrey grabbed his cup and stood up. "Too bad we can't put the parents on trial too. They created that monster."

His thoughts on his own childhood. Booth shook his head. "No Charles had a lot of choices and he made the wrong ones. His parents were horrible, but . . . well, anyway, we caught the guy so he can't hurt anyone else."

"Yeah, I guess." Aubrey moved over to the doorway. "You'll have my report by the end of the day . . . Oh Joe and Carla won for brisket. Damn that sauce and that meat . . . they should go into business I mean wow it was that damn good."

Amused, Booth smiled at the younger man. "So you got to eat barbeque after all?"

His eyes gleaming, Aubrey grinned. "Oh yeah. God those people know how to cook and I plan to go to some cook-offs in the future. Makes me hungry just thinking about it."

Snorting, Booth picked up the folder and flipped it open. "Shit, you're always hungry."

The taste of the barbeque still a fresh memory, Aubrey shrugged his shoulders and left the office. I need to find a barbeque shack around here. Maybe I can call Carla and she can recommend one.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Relaxed on the couch, Booth flipped through the channels on the TV trying to find a decent movie to watch when his children came charging through the front doorway and down the hallway towards him. "Daddy! . . . Dad!"

He just had time enough to brace himself before they threw themselves at him on the couch. "Holy smokes kids. You'd think you didn't see me this morning."

In a great mood, Christine laughed and plopped down on the couch next to her father while Hank moved so that he was between his father's legs and he was leaning against Booth's chest. "Mom told Hank and I that we're going to Virginia Beach this weekend. She said it was your idea. Thanks Dad."

Gripping his father's shirt in his fist, Hank grinned at his father. "I want to collect sea shells like Lisa Barnes does. She's got a bunch of cool ones, Daddy. She brought them to school last year for 'show and tell' and she got extra credit.

His arms around Hank, Booth hugged him and then released him. "You got it Sport. We'll all look for sea shells while we're at the beach."

Brennan entered the house, closed the door behind her and placed her messenger bag on the island as she passed it. "Someone forgot to close the door . . . again."

With fingers pointing at each other, both children claimed the other was the last through the door. Indignantly, Hank grabbed Christine's finger. "Nah uh, you were last you big Dummy."

"Hank!" Brennan wasn't pleased with the insult. "I'm pretty sure you are not allowed to call your sister a dummy."

His cheeks rosy red, Hank released Christine's finger. "She started it . . . " The look on his mother's and father's face made him stop and move away from his father. "I got to go to the bathroom." Racing down the hallway, Hank escaped his mother's glare.

Christine shook her head. "If he'd go before we left Aunt Angela's house he wouldn't have to worry about it when he got home . . . children."

Amused, Booth watched her stand up and walk down the hallway towards her bedroom. "She's growing up too fast, Bones."

Sitting down beside him, Brennan placed her arm around his arm. "Not really, she's maturing at the pace she should be . . . Booth, you've been distant for the last three days, ever since we came back from Louisiana. Is something wrong?"

"I guess I'm not good at hiding things from you." Booth kissed her and braced himself for the conversation he had been putting off for a few days. "We need to talk, but I'd like to do it when the kids are in bed and I know we won't be interrupted."

Worried, Brennan stared at Booth for a few moments. "Alright . . . if that's what you wish to do."

He knew he was worrying her, but the conversation was very important and he needed her full attention not to mention he wanted to put it off for just a little bit longer. "Thanks Bones. Don't worry it isn't that serious, it's just . . . um . . . okay it's serious, but it doesn't have anything to do with us us."

"Us us?" Brennan hated it when Booth delayed important conversations to try protect her and she knew that was what was going on now. "Booth just tell me."

Feeling trapped, Booth stood up and faced Brennan. "Let's go into the bedroom at least. I really need to talk to you without the kids around . . . okay?"

Filled with dread, Brennan nodded her head. "Yes of course."

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Okay probably not fair, but you will find out what is going on in the next chapter. Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.