AN: Thanks as always to redrider6612 and FauxMaven. Any remaining faults are my own.
Booth knocked on Rebecca's door at 9:15 the next morning. He smiled nervously at Brennan, and she squeezed his hand to tell him that everything would be okay.
The door opened and Rebecca gestured them inside with a smile. "Parker's just finishing breakfast. He'll be done in a minute."
The couple took seats on her couch. Brennan looked around the room curiously. She didn't know the other woman well and had never been in her home before. The furniture looked sturdy and the room lacked anything breakable, very appropriate for a rambunctious young boy. The room was decorated in warm, inviting colors and she felt herself relax. Her perusal of the bookshelf was interrupted by the Parker's entrance.
The seven year old was clearly unhappy. He stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest, a stubborn expression on his face.
Booth sighed. "Hi, Parker. I guess you're still mad at me, huh?"
Parker jutted out his chin and nodded emphatically.
"It's okay to be upset when someone disappoints you or breaks a promise." Even though the stubborn look remained, Booth was pleased that he was listening.
"You know it's bad to lie, right?" he asked.
At Parker's nod, he continued, "Well, bub, Daddy's boss did something bad. He told your mommy a lie. I didn't have to work last weekend."
The boy's eyes went wide. "What happened, Daddy?"
"A bad guy kidnapped us for a while," Brennan said. "Your dad wanted to be here, but the bad guy locked us up in a basement and we couldn't get out."
Booth finished up the simplified version of the story. "It took the FBI a few days to catch him and find us."
Parker looked upset. "Are you okay?"
They shared a glance, thinking about just how "not okay" things were, but they were okay in all the ways that mattered to a seven year old, so Booth answered, "Yeah, we're okay."
A moment later, Parker ran across the room and flung himself onto the couch, giving his father a big hug. Brennan saw the tension leave him and gave a sigh of relief.
"I missed you, Daddy."
"Me too, bub. More than you'll ever know. Now, are you ready to go to church?"
"I gotta put on my shoes."
"Okay, we'll wait here while you put on your shoes."
Brennan looked up and noticed Rebecca standing in the doorway. She had been so focused on the interaction between father and son that she hadn't noticed the other woman's presence.
Booth spoke softly. "We'd appreciate it if you'd keep quiet about what happened to us. Bones is a well-known author and I'm hoping to keep this under wraps."
As she nodded, Parker ran back into the room.
"I'm ready!"
They stood and headed for the door.
"Thanks for letting me have time with him today, Becca," Booth said quietly.
During the drive to church, Parker chattered about his week, mentioning a number of names that she didn't recognize.
Too soon, the drive was over and they were sitting on the hard benches. She listened, but although she understood the words, she was clearly missing the significance of some of it. She didn't know when to sit or stand. Eventually she felt restless, but she suppressed the urge to fidget. She didn't want to be a bad example for Parker.
She heaved a quiet sigh of relief when the service was done and it was time to leave. Everyone waited patiently to say good-bye to the priest at the door.
When it was their turn, Father Sanders smiled at her. "Any friend of Booth's is always welcome here."
She wondered what he'd think if he knew she'd called Jesus a zombie and God an 'imaginary friend.' Plus she was more than Booth's friend, in a way she was certain the priest wouldn't approve of.
Not wanting to embarrass Booth, she suppressed a snort and smiled politely. "Thank you."
After lunch the three headed to a nearby park. She watched father and son as they roughhoused and generally had fun.
After a while, Parker begged, "Come swing with me. Daddy gives the best pushes."
Unable to resist, she accompanied him to the swings. Soon all three were swinging. Although she hadn't been on a swing in years and had preferred other activities to swinging as a child, there was something special about being with her partner and his son.
Since she enjoyed the swinging more than she expected, she readily agreed to a game of tag. Parker was 'it' and he chased the adults for a couple of minutes before Brennan slowed down just enough to be tagged. Then she headed for Booth at a dead run. He saw her coming and ran away, but she was in excellent condition and eventually tagged him. The games lasted for a few minutes more as Booth let his son escape a few times.
After he tagged Parker, the boy declared he was too tired to run anymore. With a wicked gleam in his eye, he yelled, 'Pig pile on Tempe!"
Soon the two were jumping on her and knocking her over, although she noticed Booth cushioned her fall and was careful not to put all of his weight on her. Parker jumped in with the enthusiasm of a child and elbowed her in the ribs accidentally. A moment later he was tickling her, making it nearly impossible for her to catch her breath.
"Parker, stop. She can't breathe," Booth commanded, and the boy stopped immediately.
"Are you okay, Bones?"
After a deep breath, she answered, "I will be in a minute."
The games exhausted everyone so they decided to take one last stroll around the park and then head to Booth's place.
Several hours later, Brennan watched as Parker ran up the driveway to his house.
"He's a great kid, Booth."
Her partner smiled sadly. "I hate this part, dropping him back at his mom's."
She reached across the car and placed her hand on top of his. "You two are making the best of a tough situation because you both want what's best for your son."
She waited a moment for him to absorb her words and then said, "So, are you ready for the rest of the Lord of the Rings?"
As the credits rolled several hours later, she began to analyze the movie, but Booth shushed her. "You can tell me what you think tomorrow. Right now I just want to hold you and enjoy the moment."
She snuggled further into him and let his heat and love warm her. He rested his head on her shoulder and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.
A few hours later, his muttering woke her. She realized they'd fallen asleep on her couch. He kept repeating the word "No" and a tear slowly made its way down his cheek.
"Booth, wake up." He slept on, so she shook his shoulder. "Come on. Wake up, Seeley. It's just a dream."
His eyes fluttered open slowly. They focused on her with surprising speed and then he crushed her to his chest in a tight hug. He inhaled deeply several times, trying to master his fear, and he rubbed his hand slowly up and down her back, reassuring himself that she was indeed alive and well.
Pulling back to look at him, she was surprised when another tear slipped down his cheek.
"Seeley?" she asked softly, brushing his tear away with her thumb.
"I… I dreamed that I arrived too late to save you," he answered in a shaky voice.
"I'm here and I'm okay."
"I know." He drew another deep breath, struggling to overcome the sheer terror of the dream.
Her hand cupped his face and she looked straight into his beautiful eyes. "It's okay to cry. You don't have to be strong for me. I've lost track of the number of times I've cried in the past few days. Crying is an excellent cathartic release." When he didn't reply, she continued, "It's an entirely appropriate response given the stress of the last few weeks. It's not healthy to bury your emotions; you need to let them out too."
He barked a laugh. Since when did she offer him advice on dealing with emotions? He knew she was trying, but only she would use words like "cathartic release" to tell him it was okay to cry.
Shifting her off him, he stood. "I need to use the bathroom."
She frowned at his retreating back. She sat back, awaiting his return. When he hadn't returned ten minutes later, she got up and knocked on the bathroom door. Receiving no reply, she opened the door to see him sitting on top of the closed toilet with his head buried in his hands, tears silently streaming down his face.
She knelt in front of him and gently removed his hands from his face. "Don't feel like you have to be strong for me. Crying is a normal emotional release. You didn't think I was weak those times I sobbed in your arms, did you?"
She tugged him up and led him toward her bed. Mechanically, he undressed and slid into bed. She slipped into her pajamas and settled beside him, wrapping her arms around him. One of his arms settled around her waist.
"I feel guilty, you know," she said. "I should have been able to fight the kidnapper off. I know three kinds of martial arts and he still got the better of me. With my IQ, I should have been able to figure out some way to escape. But I didn't, and as a result, you got dragged into it and two weeks of my life was stolen."
He started to speak, but she put a finger to his lips.
"You feel guilty because you couldn't find me, and then you couldn't change the situation and find a way protect me."
"I… it's my job to protect you, Temperance."
"You can't protect me from everything."
"I feel like I should be able to," he muttered.
"We can't change the past, only live in the moment and move forward into the future. Getting mired in regrets is useless. I've spent years refusing to let the past tarnish the future. I'm not going to start now." Sincerity shone in each sentence she spoke.
He looked at her in amazement. He had always known she was a strong woman, but hearing her express it so clearly took his breath away.
He kissed her deeply. "You are an amazing woman, Temperance Brennan. You're right, we can only go forward, and right now I think that means getting some sleep."
She searched his gaze deeply and decided that he really had heard what she'd said and wasn't just avoiding things. She kissed his lips softly. "Good night, Seeley."
The loud bleeping of the alarm clock woke them hours later. The couple went about their morning routines, still getting used to each other.
Booth insisted on making breakfast. The omelets were excellent and she savored every bite.
"You know, I could get used to having breakfast with you if everything else you cook is this good."
"You'll just have to wait and see." He winked at her.
His phone beeped and he flipped it open and read the text message. "Are you busy this morning? Cullen wants to meet with us as soon as possible."
"I don't think I've got anything urgent."
"Well, I should get a start on these dishes if we're going to be on time."
Brennan cleared her place and headed back to her room to finish getting ready. She had been looking forward to going back to work, but now she felt a little uncertain. She'd had a wonderful time the past few days hanging out with Booth, and people surely had heard that she and Booth had been missing. Work had always been her sanctuary, but she wasn't sure she wanted to deal with the inevitable stares, unspoken questions, and obvious speculation.
Pulling on her shoes, she straightened up. 'I'm a strong person and I won't let the opinions of others stop me,' she thought. She never had before and she wasn't about to start now. She refused to hide from something or someone because things were a little difficult. Holding her head high, she exited the room.
When they walked through the main doors into the Hoover Building, the security guard smiled. "You're back. It's good to see you," he said as he checked their IDs perfunctorily.
Since it was still fifteen minutes before the workday officially began, there weren't many people around. They were both grateful when they arrived at Cullen's office a few minutes early without encountering anyone. Grabbing a magazine in the reception area, she sat back to wait.
She flipped through the magazine. "Do people really read this… trash? Who cares if some celebrity has a new boyfriend? The dieting tips are worthless and a woman who would do that to herself to get a man must be crazy!"
"What are you reading?"
She lifted the magazine so he could see the cover.
He laughed. "Bones, you can buy Cosmopolitan at every grocery store, bookstore and newsstand in the country. It's very popular."
Cullen opened the door to his office. "I'm ready for you."
Brennan dumped the magazine back on the table and followed Booth into the office, sitting in the empty chair.
The deputy director looked them over carefully. "You look like you had a relaxing few days."
Booth nodded. "We watched movies and hung out with the squints and Parker. It was good."
"How are you really doing?" he asked.
"About as well as could be expected, given the circumstances," Brennan said curtly.
He eyed her, then smiled sympathetically. "You might want to get used to the question; you'll probably get it a lot today."
He paused and took a deep breath. "We'll start with the easiest first. Booth, you have a three o'clock appointment with Dr. Wyatt. We tentatively scheduled one for Dr. Brennan at four. I'd appreciate it you'd call his office and let him know whether or not you can make it."
"We don't have to meet with Sweets?" Booth asked, pleasantly surprised.
"Not at the moment," Cullen answered. "If Dr. Wyatt recommends additional partners counseling, then maybe." The partners exchanged a meaningful look.
"Moving on… although we don't normally consult… the victims… on how we investigate a case, given the sensitive nature of the evidence, I decided to consult you before turning it over for examination."
"Sir?"
"The forensics team is currently processing the evidence from the basement, but there's hours, maybe days, of recordings of you two. We sat on it for a few days, but somebody has to go through it. I thought you might have a preference as to who…"
"I'd prefer as few people as possible saw it," Booth answered quickly. He hated the idea of other people seeing those videos of him and Bones, especially another man. She'd probably kick his butt from here to Alaska if she knew he felt that possessively about her, but... "How about Julia Baker?"
Brennan frowned. The female agent seemed nice, but she'd been a bit too impressed by Booth's dancing skills. She mentally ran through the short list of people working the case, decided that Julia was the best choice, and nodded reluctantly.
Cullen made a note to get Baker released from the rest of her workload for a few days. "Okay. Have you two thought about how you're going to handle the press when this makes the news?"
The partners looked at each other in horror and he suppressed a laugh. "I guess that's a 'no.'"
"You really think it's just a matter of time?" Brennan asked in a small voice.
"Unfortunately, yes. I've already made it clear if there's a leak here, someone will be facing severe penalties, but there were millions of hits on that site and hundreds of thousands of unique users. I can't do anything about them, so you'd better start doing some preparation. The FBI, of course, will be unavailable for comment, but reporters can be relentless."
Brennan slumped, losing a bit of her resolve. The day was not starting out well. Maybe she should have stayed in bed.
The deputy director handed them each a file. "I need you to review these transcripts of your interviews and make any changes you feel are appropriate. Return them to Baker and Vatio. They'll make the revisions and then get the final version back to you to sign."
He felt bad that he couldn't do much to help the pair. Neither deserved this, and they were going to have to relive those events at least one more time while they reviewed the files. He offered them the only consolation he could.
"Agent Vatio spent the weekend interviewing Circuit City's employees and found another person involved in this whole mess. His lawyer recommended that he plea-bargain. I believe the interrogation is going to begin shortly in Room Five. I thought maybe you'd want to watch, but under no circumstances are you to interact with the suspect."
They looked at him in surprise and then glanced at each other.
"Thank you, sir. Is that all?"
"We're done for now."
He smiled at their enthusiasm as they left.
During the meeting most of the FBI employees had arrived for work and the pair drew their attention. The observation ranged from the subtle, a glance out of the corner of the eyes, to outright stares of curiosity. Booth edged closer to Brennan. He resisted the urge to put his arm around her waist, settling for his usual hand at the small of her back. Knowing that the best thing was not to react, they both acted as normally as possible.
Relief coursed through both of them when the door to the viewing area of the interrogation room closed behind them. Special Agent Julia Baker nodded in their direction and kept her attention on the good-looking young man sitting at the table on the other side of the one-way glass.
Brennan automatically cataloged his features. His face was somewhat symmetrical. Light brown hair and brown eyes sat atop a square jaw. He had broad shoulders and she suspected he was probably tall. He shifted nervously in his chair, glanced at his lawyer and then the door. James Vatio entered the room and sat down with his back to the glass.
"Your lawyer says you've accepted our deal, Sean," Vatio said.
He nodded reluctantly after looking to his lawyer one more time.
"Why don't you begin by telling me about your relationship with Powell Fitzhugh," the agent suggested.
Sean took a deep breath. "I met him for the first time when I applied for the job at Circuit City."
"When was that?"
"I was seventeen, so four years ago. He hired me and I worked after school and on the weekends."
"You were in high school then?" Vatio asked.
"Yes."
"You decided you needed a job because..."
"My mom and I were having a bad year. She didn't get a raise that year and our rent went up two hundred dollars a month. Anyway, Mr. Fitzhugh gave me the job. He was really nice to me. He made sure someone showed me the ropes. He rarely got mad when something wasn't done right, and he gave me extra hours during the summers. He always asked me how things were going and he really listened to me, you know? My senior year, he came to some of my basketball games."
The agent offered Sean a glass of water when he paused. The young man gulped it down.
"Did your boss ever do anything that made you uncomfortable?"
"Sometimes he made inappropriate comments about women," Sean answered after a moment's thought. "But I never thought much about it until the evening he called me into his office and asked me if I wanted to make a little extra money. I was a sophomore in college and my scholarship didn't cover all the expenses, so I said yes. I thought he was going to give me more hours or a raise. Instead, he took me to the basement, opened the door, and said 'Do what comes naturally.' There was a beautiful woman lying naked on a bed and you can guess the rest. I didn't notice the camera until afterward."
He hung his head in embarrassment. "I needed the money for college, so I kept taking the extra work, and it felt… good. At first it was a couple of times a month and then once a week. One Friday, he told me he wanted to change things around and would I mind being locked in for the weekend. My last payment for the semester was due the next week and I needed the money to cover what I didn't have, so I did it. As things progressed, he showed me the website and he started giving me a cut of the profits when I continued to help him out. We added the furniture at night after everyone had gone home. Sometimes he hired two people for the room and then he needed me to do errands like getting food." Sean cleared his throat. "Could I get some more water?"
Julia grabbed a bottle of water from the small refrigerator and took it to Vatio.
Vatio poured the water into the glass and waited while the younger man took a drink.
"Two months ago, something went wrong. Powell was upset because the site wasn't making as much money and he was having a harder time finding people to hire. I guess word must have gotten out. Anyhow, three weeks ago he told me he'd figured out a solution. I… I didn't know it involved kidnapping anyone until about a minute before we did it. He handed me the rag and said, 'We're taking those two women walking down the alley. Put this over the left one's nose.' Then he pushed me out the door and…"
After a long uncomfortable pause, he continued, "I didn't have any time to think about it. Maybe otherwise I would have said no. But once we had them, I was in too far to back out. The one on the left was smart though, she almost got away."
"I… that idiot! He could have prevented it or at least called in an anonymous tip!" Booth exclaimed in anger.
Baker transferred her attention from the interrogation to the drama occurring between the two partners.
Booth curled his hand into a fist and told himself that punching the wall would only hurt himself. Meanwhile, Brennan was reliving the terrifying feeling of Sean's arm around her neck and the cloth pressed against her face. She took deep breaths, trying to steady her emotions. Booth immediately turned to her. In a single glance he assessed her emotional state and then pushed aside his anger. He pulled her into his arms and whispered words of reassurance. "It's over, Temperance, and we're safe now. I'm here." She turned her head into his shoulder and struggled hard to control the shakes and the sobs threatening to overcome her.
Vatio continued the interrogation. "Were any of the other people kidnapped?"
"Not that I'm aware of," Sean answered.
"That's all for now then. I'll contact you if I have any more questions."
The agent escorted the unfortunate young man and his lawyer to the elevator, then returned to the viewing area.
"That poor kid," he commented to Baker. "He was pretty much a pawn in this whole thing, but he'll probably end up in jail for a couple of years."
By this time Brennan had her emotions back under control, but she still lashed out at him. "You wouldn't say that if you were the one who had his arm around your neck," she spat venomously before stalking out of the room. Booth glared hard at Vatio before following his partner.
He could tell by the set of her shoulders that she wanted to leave. "Bones, wait up. Why don't I take you to the lab?"
She waited impatiently for the elevator, acknowledging his suggestion with a sharp nod. When they reached the safety of his SUV, she finally stopped wearing her impassive mask.
"I hate this, Booth. I feel like I have no control over my emotions and every time we pass a man I wonder if he's seen the videos."
"I know. I almost lost it in there. I wanted to smash that kid's head into the wall."
Taking a deep breath, he reminded her of the words she'd spoken in the night. "We can't change what happened, we just have to keep forging ahead, right?"
He could see her determination return. "Right. I think I'm ready to go to the lab now."
He turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot.
