Okay, here's the short chapter I was talking about. I'll try to amke it up to you with another chapter tomorrow. But I've got some other school stuff going on, so no promises.
Also, I asked what everyone wanted me to do with Brooke's biological father. It was interesting to see about a fifty/fifty split. I actually made a tally and as of when I'm posting this it is 8-8. It will be a while before I can even begin to write into the story, so if you haven't already given me an opinion it may help. :)
Anyway you guys, probably want to get on with the story.
Disclaimers in chapter 1.
Cam's words hung in the air for a minute, both knowing what needed to be done. They had to tell Brennan. She needed to know what Booth had said really happened seven years ago. She needed to know that Booth hadn't chosen Hannah, only agreed to help her with her child since he couldn't find his. And despite finding out that Booth had never stopped caring about her and Katy. This was going to kill Brennan. She had already told Cam she didn't want to believe she had taken Katy away from Booth for no reason, but it appeared that is what had happened.
After a few minutes, Brennan returned to the room and noticed that both Cam and Angela were sitting there in silence. "I thought you were talking to Booth."
"We were."
"But not anymore?"
"No... But he told us something, Sweetie."
"That usually happens when you talk to someone, Ange."
"Yeah, but he told us something that we should have asked him a long time ago. And something you should have told me a long time ago."
Brennan looked at her with confusion written on her face. "What did he tell you?"
"Dr. Brennan, were you aware that several years ago, Booth was included in a group to help convict the rest of the criminals your parents were involved with?"
"No, I wasn't. When was that?" Brennan answered hesitantly.
"Right before you left. They told him to avoid you so he wouldn't tell you what he was working on."
"What? That's ridiculous! I was his partner!"
"And the daughter of a man who was in the group."
"So? The group killed my mother! Neither Dad or I would have told them that the FBI was looking for them! Why didn't Booth tell me? Didn't he trust me?"
"Dr. Brennan, I can assure you that Booth trusted you. But he was specifically ordered not to let you know and surrounded by people most of the time."
"So first he lies to me about his work then decides he wants Hannah back and doesn't bother to mention any of this to me?"
"He met with Hannah once while you two were together," Cam shared. "And I'm assuming that was when you saw them. She was asking him to be a father to Brooke."
"Which he clearly said yes to."
"Only after you left, Sweetie."
That made Brennan pause for a moment. "You mean he wasn't going to leave?"
"I don't think there was much of a chance of that happening," Cam confirmed.
"So I was trying to protect Katy from nothing?" her voice became completely emotionless. She was compartmentalizing, but her walls weren't as strong as they once were.
"You were trying to protect her from what happened to you. You got scared, Bren. And then Booth started acting weird and not talking to you. You made an assumption that turned out to be wrong."
"Angela, what you're saying is I kept Booth from his child because I didn't trust him enough."
"Not exactly. Anybody could have done what you did."
"But I'm not anyone. And that's exactly what happened." Brennan took a deep breath. "I'll explain the situation to him next time I see him."
"You can't seriously think it's going to be that simple?" Cam cut in.
"No, but if I go searching for him then it might be more of a shock."
"And him coming to pick up Brooke and seeing you or you going to pick up the girls from school is going to be less of one?"
"Probably not, but it will at least stop him from storming out of wherever we are if he has to take Brooke."
"You're playing with fire."
"No, I'm not. I've been hiding behind its smoke for the last seven years. And now it's time to pull any chance of a relation with Booth out of the flames."
"You still want a relationship with him?" Cam asked surprised. She assumed even with the new discovery, Brennan wouldn't want to try to establish a relationship again. Especially not with Booth.
"He's Katy's father. I'm going to have some form of relationship with him whether I like it or not. It will stay completely platonic this time however."
"I remember you saying something similar to me right after you Booth started working together, Bren."
"And I learn from my mistakes."
"But when did the mistakes start and what was right end?"
Brennan wanted to answer Cam's question, but found that, for once, she didn't know the answer.
