-Chapter Ten: Brennan-
Temperance quickly strapped Emma in her car seat and made sure Parker was in his before racing out of her parking structure. She drove, in a state of shock, for a matter of minutes, before deciding where to go. She arrived at her destination and quickly got the kids out of the car. Emma was now wide awake and hysterical and Parker was in a daze. She found the apartment and knocked on the door, "Come on." The door swung open and Max Keenan stood there, obviously not expecting to see his daughter and grandchildren.
"Tempe! My god, what happened?"
"Dad, can we come in?" Max immediately stepped aside and the three rushed inside.
--
Brennan winced as Max gently dabbed at one of the cuts on her face.
"I'm sorry Honey." Max apologized for what seemed to be the hundredth time.
"It's not your fault."
"Who did this to you?"
Brennan sighed. How much should she tell him? She didn't want Ortez's men to come after her father as well.
"His name was Antonio Mena."
"Was?" Max questioned as he put a band-aid on her forehead.
"I killed him." Max raised his eyebrows. "It was self-defense!"
"I believe you."
"Thank you." She glanced at Parker. "I think he's in shock."
Max nodded in agreement.
"Dad, listen. There was a reason that I came to you." He glanced up from cleaning the blood off of her hands. "I need to disappear."
Max froze and slowly made eye contact with her. She nodded, showing that she was serious.
"Disappear?"
"Disappear."
He stood up slowly and threw the tissue down on the table. "I think I can help."
--
"The buddy that helped me become Matthew Brennan, owes me a favor." Max explained as he collected the papers from the printer. "
"Thank you."
"Sure thing." He took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"It's not something I want to do, it's something I have to do. I'm not going to let them kill my children."
"You sound just like your mother." They held their gaze a moment longer, but then it was back to business. "If you're going to disappear, you're going to need money."
"I have money." She supplied.
"I know that. You'll need to empty your accounts."
Brennan nodded and cast a glance at Parker and Emma who were sleeping on the couch.
--
Brennan sighed as she opened her safety deposit box. At the time, she wasn't sure that putting a large sum of money into a safety deposit box would do her any good, now she was glad that she did. She quickly emptied the contents into one of the large duffle bags that she had borrowed from her father, and walked out of the bank. She spent the next few hours making withdrawals out of her account at different banks around DC, and returned to Max's apartment later in the day.
"I'm back!" She announced as she entered the apartment.
"Oh! Honey, honey! Watch this." Max said laughing as he threw Emma in the air. The little girl fell back into his grasp giggling madly.
"Be careful Dad." She laughed as she hung her coat up.
"I am, I am." He set Emma down in her playpen and walked over to the desk area that he had set up. "You're new identities." He handed Brennan a stack of papers.
"Johnny, Mila and Daphne Finn?" She looked up. "What were the reasons for those names?"
Max shrugged. "There wasn't any." Then he turned to Parker and winked.
"Wait! What was that?"
"It was nothing Aunt Bones." Parker said, grinning.
Brennan turned to Max, her face demanding an explanation. He shrugged. "You heard the man. It's nothing."
