A/N: And dinner is now served. I wanted to get this out to everyone so you had something to read before 9:00 PM.

I'm going to miss Bones. It was a distinct part of my life that I looked forward to each week. The characters were wonderfully flawed, the friendships were all ready, and it had just the right touch of humor. I will miss not having new episodes but I have made great friends from the fandom. I along with several of them plan to continue writing, so keep a watch for us!


As the Beef and Vegetarian Wellingtons cooked in the oven, Booth, Brennan, Aubrey, Jessica, and Gordon were enjoying the starter entrée of the Michigan salad.

"I'm not big on leafy veggies and stuff but this is really good, Gordon." Booth said.

The chef sipped from his wine. "I'm glad you think so, Agent Booth. It seems Doctor Brennan has also been a wonderful influence on you regarding your palate."

Booth wiped his mouth and looked at his wife. "She still tries to hoist that Tofurkey crap on me during Thanksgiving, but I have found that some things she's recommended are…pretty good."

"Thank you, Booth." Brennan said with a small smile before stabbing more salad.

Gordon turned to the other couple and was amused to see Aubrey shoving the salad down like there was a famine coming. "Aubrey, I take it you're enjoying this course?"

The agent finished chewing. "Awesome salad."

Jessica wanted to still be annoyed with her boyfriend, but found it was hard when he looked so adorable appreciating food. "Maybe I should make one for dinner soon with some meat loaf."

Aubrey looked up at his girlfriend. If she's mentioning making him dinner, he may be forgiven soon. "Will you use that cherry barbecue sauce for the meat loaf?"

The redhead drank her wine. "We'll see."

Aubrey didn't want to push his luck. "Thank you, Jessica. I really, really like your meat loaf and mashed potatoes." He said before taking a sip of his water.

Gordon was pleased to see the slow detente at the table. "It's time for me to start the risotto. Excuse me."

Walking into the kitchen, he gathered his Arborio rice, cheeses, mushrooms and other ingredients. As he mixed them together, he looked back and saw Booth and Aubrey in a work conversation while Brennan and Jessica were discussing a recent discovery for her dissertation. He was worried about the tension he walked into earlier, but it seemed to have lessened in the last eighty minutes. He hoped both couples could rise past it to help him.

Suddenly the oven timer went off as the risotto was almost complete. After checking the items, he pulled the potatoes and Wellington dishes out of the oven.

"Our main course and the red skinned potatoes are complete. Finish your salads and I will serve it when it's cooled enough."

Jessica touched off her glass of Erath as Aubrey finished his water. "Ready for wine, Superman?"

Aubrey grinned slightly. "Yeah…thanks."

Jessica filled her boyfriend's glass. When she was done, he surprised her by squeezing her hand. To his immediate relief, she squeezed back while giving him a wane smile. He was still on her shit list, but they would work as the team they were to do what needed to be done.

Across from them, Brennan watched Booth refill their glasses. When he put the Chardonnay down, she interlocked her fingers with her husband's. Their eyes locked and understanding was given. While the senior agent knew he was still up shit creek for last night, they were always partners. Both knew that what needed to be done tonight required that the center hold.

"Dinner is served."

Both couples looked up to see Gordon setting down bowls of mushroom risotto and red skin potatoes with fresh herbs. On his second trip, he returned with two platters, each containing a pastry filled with either meat or vegetables. He pointed to the right before looking to Brennan.

"Doctor Brennan, this is your Vegetarian Wellington. It contains asparagus, tomato, spinach and butternut squash."

"Doctor B, can I try some of that?" Jessica asked. "I like Beef Wellington, but yours sounds yummy as well."

"Of course Ms. Warren." Brennan said before turning to her intern's companion. "Aubrey?"

"Always, Doctor B. It will go nice with the Beef one."

The anthropologist turned to her husband who put his hand up. "Bones, I liked that Michigan salad, but I want beef tonight."

"Suit yourself, Booth."

The five served themselves. After Aubrey cut himself some of each pastry, he went for more of the beef before he felt a hand run up and down his arm. Recognizing Jessica's signal, he moved his interest to the mushroom risotto instead.

Booth offered his wife the potatoes after serving himself as she took the risotto from Aubrey. Nodding, he gave her some of the starch as she reciprocated after he finished his part. When done, each took some of their main course.

When they were all situated, Gordon caught the subtle nod of Booth towards Aubrey and Jessica.

"A toast." Gordon said before lifting his glass, followed by the others. "First to love. It's a feeling of great hope and happiness with the occasional sadness. It can be driven by great emotion, but also by hurts of yesterday and misunderstanding. However, when we choose to persevere against all odds to commit to that one person your fidelity, respect, and your heart, whether it's through friendship or even…marriage…it's the greatest feeling of all."

"Here, here." Booth said with enthusiasm as he and his wife drank their wine.

"To love." Aubrey and Jessica said with discomfort.

When she saw their mentors momentarily distracted, Jessica rolled her eyes from Gordon to them. Taking the hint, the chef smiled before raising his glass again.

"Also, to life. It's a complicated maze where events from the past can stay buried or being a building block for the future. It's a force that can bring a single event from the past into your present and bring complications that seem almost insurmountable. It can also cause great pain when something, or someone you care for leaves your world. However, with great courage and insight, you can confront that which causes you adversity and move forward to great moments in your lifetime."

"To life." Aubrey said.

"To life." Jessica joined in.

The last toast hit too close for comfort for Booth and Brennan. "To life." The couple said together without much enthusiasm.

"Now, let's eat." Gordon said.

All dug into their dinners. Conversation was light, ranging from the deliciousness of the meal to the antics of the Mini-Booths at the Zoo or Skinner's latest drama. Gordon was chewing his latest bite when he saw Booth's head nod towards Aubrey.

"Being back here has been fascinating to say the least. It's becoming difficult to return to my kitchen in England."

"Really?" Aubrey asked. "Why?"

"Well, between assisting with Doctor Addy, reading through the Kovacs case, and seeing everyone again, it's reminded me of why I studied psychiatry in the first place."

"How?" Booth asked.

"Well, the feeling of satisfaction I always got when I confronted a new complexity of the human psyche." Gordon said before taking a bite of his meal. "Take the Kovacs case. A young man who had one event, seeing the death of his father, affect his whole life, including his future."

"Well, if I was a witness to losing my father, who knows what I would be like?" Jessica said.

Gordon turned to the redhead. "On the contrary, Jessica, you and Aubrey have both experienced some loss of your paternal figures."

"Our fathers…are still alive, Gordon." A confused Aubrey said before drinking a large amount of his Erath.

"Yes, but circumstances changed the dynamics of your relationships with your fathers at impressionable ages or times. Aubrey, your father abandoned you and your mother when you were thirteen years old. That had to be a hard blow to experience."

"Well, my father was the coward who took off instead of facing what he had done. Like Kovacs I faced uncertainty when my father was gone and my mother had to rise above things to make a life for us." Aubrey said with difficulty. "Kovacs, on the other hand, got a second chance when he came to the States, but he let his father's death dictate his life. I'm sorry he was traumatized but Josip Radik was a war criminal who got what he deserved thanks to Booth."

"I didn't take the shot to give him what he deserved, Aubrey." Booth said forcefully. "I took the shot because I was ordered to. If I hadn't, thousands, if not millions of people would have died and we may have had another Holocaust."

Aubrey immediately realized that he overstepped. "Sorry, Booth."

Booth took a breath. "It's okay, Aubrey."

The moment of tension eased, Gordon moved on. "Jessica, you've experienced loss with your father as well from your daily life. Wasn't it several months after you graduated with your bachelor degrees at Michigan State that he suffered his stroke?"

The redhead took a deep breath. "Yes, but like Aubrey said, he's still alive, Gordon. I see him usually every other Saturday at his nursing home unless I'm on the weekend on-call rotation at the lab."

"May I ask if your father's stroke sudden or did he have a previous history of medical issues?" Gordon asked.

Jessica grasped her napkin and twisted it. ""He has high blood pressure, but the stroke itself was caused by an undiagnosed aneurysm that burst during a…fight with my mother."

"Ah yes, your mother. She has Bipolar II Disorder, correct?"

"Yes." The redhead said.

"Was she on a medicated regimen at the time?" Gordon asked carefully.

"We thought she was, but Gordon, she has a…unpleasant personality either way. All the medication does is make her more functional and less unpleasant." Jessica said before taking a large drink of her wine. "As for my father's stroke, they were able to repair most of the damage, but the stroke affected his right side. He has issues with his attention span and his short term memory when he's under stress. He also has mild language apraxia."

"Your dad seemed to overcome all that pretty well when I met him." Aubrey said.

"Thanks." Jessica said, her heart melting as Aubrey's kind blue eyes looked at her.

"I'm sorry your mother wasn't able to give you the support you needed." Brennan said. "I miss my mother's presence every day."

"I appreciate that, Doctor B. Thanks."

Gordon turned back to Aubrey. "So Aubrey, you mentioned recently that your father's return has brought up some unresolved feelings."

The junior agent took a deep breath, wondering what his recent admission had to do with Doctor B. "Sure, I'm angry. His presence has disrupted my life and Jessica's. She doesn't deserve all that crap that I'm dealing with right now."

Gordon picked his wine glass. "Like most children of abandonment or less than ideal relationships with their parental units, I would imagine that as you aged there was the occasional fear of being left behind. Especially when someone got close to you, much like I'm sure Mr. Kovacs has."

"My father was a selfish douchebag, Gordon. He honestly did my mom and me a favor." Aubrey said unconvincingly. "So why would I think things like that?"

"Much like why Mr. Kovacs probably didn't tell his wife about his past. He was afraid that if she knew that it would drive her away."

"Well, I'm not afraid of Jessica leaving me." Aubrey said with an edge to his voice.

"So neither one of you is scared of marriage because of your pasts?" Gordon said before taking a bite of his beef. "Neither one of you is afraid to fail the other and/or get left behind?"

"Of course not." Jessica and Aubrey said at the same time.

"That's good you two, because we would hate you two to let being afraid affect you like it did Bones and I." Booth said.

Gordon turned to the other couple. "Indeed. You two are a shining example of persevering over their pasts. Even in the shadow of grief, you two are a unit."

"Grief?" Brennan asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Over your father of course, Doctor Brennan. You had such a complicated history with your father that I'm sure his loss was a great shock to both of you."

Brennan was prepared to talk about her past with Booth, not her father. "I-it was. Of course it was. He was in excellent health after getting his pacemaker."

Gordon moved in. "I think it's wonderful that after the years apart that you were able to forgive him for leaving you and your brother the way he did."

Brennan didn't look up as she cut more of her vegetarian entree. "Yes, he was a complicated but wonderful man. I have many years of memories of him and of some to pass on to Christine and Hank when they get older."

Booth felt like their plans were getting away from them. He consented for Gordon to talk about his history with Bones, not bring up Max or other uncomfortable topics. Wanting to take the spotlight away from his wife, Booth pressed forward.

"You know I think we've spent enough time talking about Kovacs and Max. How about Zack? How well do you think he will acclimate to the outside world?"

Gordon knew he hit a nerve with Booth. However, he had to finish what they started. "I think that it will be a life changing adjustment. We talked about his family and he is unfortunately not on good terms with them."

"He isn't?" Brennan said. "They were so warm and loving to him the time we were stuck in the lab on Christmas."

"Zack mentioned that time when I talked to him as one of the best memories he ever had." The former shrink said. "However, his father is now deceased due to a heart attack."

"That is no surprise." Brennan replied. "Zack mentioned more than once how his father's diet was one of high fat and cholesterol and he was very sedentary. He once told me that when he father would be offered vegetables not deep fried or something healthy, he was say 'I don't eat food's food.'"

"He was picky. Food…is food." Aubrey said.

Brennan looked up at the younger agent before continuing. "Between that and the heavy beer drinking, I'm surprised he lived as long as he did."

"He also said that after his conviction, his mother comforted herself with alcohol to the point she is now a full-fledged alcoholic. Both parents blamed themselves for him being Gormogon's apprentice. The strain and his mother's proclivities led to them becoming separated about six years ago. I guess his siblings blame Zack for all this and they've shunned him."

"That's so sad." Jessica said. "It wasn't his fault all that happened to his family."

"No, Jessica, it's not." Gordon said. "Unfortunately, his family needed a scapegoat and Doctor Addy is it. The young lad blames himself. He always wonders now if he should have stayed in Michigan like his family wanted him to. That way none of this would have happened."

"That's ridiculous." Booth said. "Yeah, Zack became an apprentice to a serial killer. However, it's not his fault his mother turned to the bottle. Nor is it his fault that his father didn't take care of himself physically and died from a heart attack."

"Yes, it's interesting, isn't it, Agent Booth?" Gordon said, going in for the kill. "A person has an event from his past make its way to the present, affecting not just them, but something precious to you such as an award, pride…person or persons. Instead of blaming the resulting actions on the cause, someone takes it to heart and unnecessarily puts all the blame on themselves."

Booth began to feel nauseated from the topic. "Well, Zack just shouldn't blame himself. What he did was wrong but his parents and family made their own decisions. I'm a gambling addict. I have to work on my sobriety every day."

Booth took a drink of his wine. "Yes, I had trauma from the military and my childhood, but in the end, I was the one who chose to place that first bet. Just like it was his father's choice to eat all that crap and drink like a fish. It was his mother's choice to take refuge in booze. No one forced their hands. In the end, it's the addict who makes the initial choice and it's the addict who has to want help. His family is wrong and need to get their heads smacked for saying that shit to Zack."

Gordon smiled. He knew Booth for all his bluster cared for the awkward young man. "Yes, I explained that if he wants to successfully integrate back into society, he needed to confront the fear…head on. He has to face it, accept it, and then forgive himself before he can move on. I fear that this Kovacs character will have to do the same."

"Forgive himself?" Booth said. "Gordon, his father murdered people and now he's going after people I care about for revenge."

"Perhaps." The chef said before finishing his final bite of food. "But he's trying to rectify the wrong he perceives."

"That's messed up." Aubrey said while eating, disturbed about where the evening was going.

"It's not, Aubrey. Mark Kovacs and Zack Addy are each plagued with survivor's guilt that is manifesting in different ways. Mr. Kovacs witnessed his father's murder, a man whom he loved even though he was a war criminal who participated in ethnic cleaning. Instead of staying behind, he came to this country as a child and a made a life for himself that his father could never have. He cannot forgive himself until he eliminates what he sees as the cause of his pain."

"Mark Kovacs can wrap it up any way he wants, but he's a murderer."

"I never said he wasn't, Booth. I'm just telling what I think the motivation is." Gordon said. He knew he was stretching with the comparisons, but it had to be done. "As for Zack, he hides behind his vast intelligence. However, he's afraid of…for lack of a better term… being vulnerable. To him, his vulnerability caused him to do what he did, which led to his mother's alcoholism and his father's death. Yes, to most people that conclusion is riddled with inconsistency and ludicrous. However, it makes sense to him. He also will not be able to move on until he can forgive himself for his actions and prepare for a life without his family."

The four sat across from each other, all stunned at what they heard. Gordon could see the wheels turning in their heads. Deciding that it was enough for the evening, he took the leftover food to the kitchen.

"How about some Crème Brulee?"


Three hours later, Booth came out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth. He saw his wife reading her latest journal, but could see that she was staring at the page without reading it.

"Bones, are you all right?"

Brennan turned to her husband, startled. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just reading an article from Ms. Warren's professor at the Sorbonne. His theories and research was why I recommended Ms. Warren for his class. She has a theory about how osteoporosis and other diseases of the bone could alter kerf marks and bullet wounds."

"Can that happen?" Booth asked as he took his robe off and threw it on the end of the bed.

"It hasn't been researched much but when she presented it to me as what she wanted to do as her dissertation, I approved it. It's a fascinating theory that could shape forensic anthropology in the future. Even if it's disproved, it will still set her apart from her peers when she obtains her PhD."

Booth got into bed. He hesitated for a moment, but he needed to know. "What did you think about what Gordon said…you know…about forgiving yourself?"

"I think it has merit." Brennan said while trying to keep the swirling of emotions down. "The past is the past. You can't change it. You can only move forward."

"I agree. It's hard though, you know. A person's past should not dictate their future, especially if it affects the people you care about."

"One shouldn't be afraid to confront it, either."

"Yeah." Booth said for lack of another response before deciding on a change of topic. "So do you think either Gordon or us got through to Aubrey and Jessica?"

"I don't know, Booth. Ms. Warren seemed very upset when she talked about her father."

Booth turned onto his side to face his wife. "Well, Aubrey told me once that she's very close to him. I would imagine having to talk about his stroke upsets her."

"Her coldness when her mother was mentioned surprised me, Booth. Ms. Warren has accomplished so much for a young woman her age and any mother would be proud."

"I know Bones, but not every mother is Mother of the Year." Booth said.

"Has Aubrey said much about Ms. Warren's family?"

Booth shook his head. "Regarding her mother and her parents' divorce, all he told me was they didn't get along and she didn't like to talk about it. Then he changed the subject."

"Do you think Aubrey knows everything?"

"Yes, but she's his girlfriend, Bones. He loves and respects her too much to break a confidence she told him."

"At least her father is still alive and she can visit him when she can." Brennan said with a sigh. "Aubrey was quite upset when his father came up as well."

"Well Bones, I think his father has a great deal to do with why he is reluctant to fully commit to Jessica, or anyone. He's got to confront what that SOB did to him."

"Much like what you did with your mother when she found you, Booth?" Brennan said.

"Yeah. It hurt when I found out about Reggie's kids, but once I did that…I could move forward." Booth said. How about things with Max? I know it still hurts you, Bones."

"It hurts you, too, Booth."

Refusing to put his pain in league with his wife's he pushed it away. "Not like yours, Bones. That man loved you so much that he gave up his shady ways and protected our children. I'm grateful that we had him in our lives when we did."

Feelings of guilt and anger washed over Brennan at that point. She couldn't speak them out loud but the tears fell. "Booth, can you hold me?"

The agent didn't answer, but instead just laid on his back and pulled his wife close to him as he tears fell. He shut off the light and wiped one away of his own. As minutes past, the two laid there, their thoughts tangled up in emotion and Gordon's words earlier in the evening. Their goal was to help Aubrey and Jessica, but other things were on their minds now.


Jessica woke up in the dark, frustrated in her attempts to sleep once again. Aubrey felt guilty for leaving Skinner to his own devices with Gordon, so she readily agreed to spend the night with him at his apartment. According to Aubrey, Gordon was out of there until tomorrow morning.

She turned to snuggle with Aubrey but was surprised that his side was empty. Sitting up, she put on her Winnie the Pooh slippers and searched his spare bedroom and bathroom to no avail. Heading out into the open area, she found him in the living room on his laptop.

"Superman, it's 2:30 in the morning. Why are you up?"

She got no response as he was engrossed in what he was watching. When she got closer and looked, she saw it was an old newscast on YouTube.

"FBI has no new leads on the location of Phillip J. Aubrey, who disappeared Friday night while on bail. Aubrey is accused of bilking clients of his stock firm of over 14.6 million dollars. So far none of that money has been recovered."

"Aubrey, why are you watching old newscasts about your father?"

Startled, Aubrey paused the footage. "Jessica, why are you up?"

"I just asked you the same thing but you were in the zone. Why are you up at this hour and why are you watching these old stories about your father?"

"I don't know."

Jessica walked around and took the laptop from Aubrey's lap before setting it on the table. Sitting next to him, she put her arms around her boyfriend and he did the same with her. The couple sat in the quiet for a few minutes, lost in their thoughts.

"Tonight was kind of wild, huh?" The agent said.

"Yeah. All that talk about our parents really…was more than I had anticipated."

Aubrey remembered the thing that had been nagging him since Wednesday. He didn't want to cause a fight, but he couldn't let it rest. Deciding it would be better to get it over with, he spoke up.

"Jess, why didn't you tell me about the guys from Investigation Discovery showing up at the Jeffersonian during Cam's shower?"

Jessica stiffened. She didn't want to burden Aubrey because once the subject came up he always went on an apology streak. "I didn't want to upset you. I didn't think it was important."

Aubrey sat up suddenly. "Not important? Jessica, if someone is harassing you, I need to know so I can take care of it."

"It's not your job to take care of me, Aubrey. I dealt with the situation, okay? Doctor B and I let security know and I haven't had any issues since. We're just racking our brains trying to find out how they got in. Please don't get upset about it."

Aubrey wanted to yell, but he knew it wouldn't do a bit of good. "Fine, but don't lie to me about this stuff again, all right? You know how I feel about that."

"I do, but you know how I feel about you 'protecting' me from this shit." Jessica retorted with quotation marks at 'protecting'. "I had to find out from the asshole that your father is doing an interview. Why didn't you didn't see fit to tell me, Aubrey?"

"Because it's my problem, not yours."

"You're wrong. It's my problem because it's hurting you. I love you and I want to help you, but you have to talk to me."

Aubrey wiped the single tear from his eye. "Okay. New topic. Tonight with Booth and Brennan. How do you think it went?"

Jessica pushed down the frustration at his deflection. "Honestly, I think it was as subtle as a Mack Truck, but I think he had to do that so Doctor B and Booth can help each other."

"I hope it does, Jess."

"Me, too." Jessica said.

Jessica laid back down with Aubrey on the couch, both struggling with internal conflict. They wanted to help Booth and Brennan but it seemed a can of worms of their own was opened. Not wanting to burden the other, they eventually fell asleep together.