AN: I don't own Bones. Never did, never will. Unfortunately.

Thank you all so much for the reviews, for following, or for adding to your favorites. And a special 'Thanks' to those of you who have sent me a pm about updating.

So...it's been a while since my last update. I took a little bit of time off writing my stories, for a few personal reasons. But, I'm back, and I hope ya'll like this.

BTW - I don't endorse violence, especially gun violence. School shootings are a terrible thing to hear about, and I sincerely hope they stop happening. I don't mean to offend any of you with the topic being briefly brought up in this chapter. My apologies in advance if I do.

Enjoy!

WARNINGS: LANGUAGE ; SENSITVE TOPIC

Oliver MacLachlan, Attorney at Law, sighed as he entered his office. It had been a long day in court, and he was pleased as punch to finally be back in his plush office. Hanging his jacket on the coat rack by the door, he carried his briefcase with him, setting it down beside him as he took a seat behind the large oak desk. No sooner than he'd kicked off his shoes under said desk did his door open, and his secretary practically bounced in, as if she was on a spring.

"Good afternoon, Mr. MacLachlan!" Victoria greeted, a cheery smile on her face.

"Not good, but afternoon." Oliver said grumpily, picking up the first envelope from the pile she laid on the desk.

Victoria chose not to comment, seeing her boss was obviously in a bad mood. "That's all the mail for you, plus those contracts you were waiting for to be messengered over arrived not long ago, along with a few other parcels." she said.

"None of them ticking, are they?" he asked dryly, getting a laugh from Victoria.

"Not as far as I can tell." she chuckled. "But the week's not over." she added, cheekily.

"Near enough." Oliver grumbled. "But, there's always next week." he said, opening the next envelope in the pile. "Do me a favor, would you, and order me something from that little diner down the street. I don't particularly care what, either."

"Can do." Victoria agreed with a nod. "Oh, and before I forget, ex-wife number two called. Said something about the alimony payment being short this month."

Oliver groaned, resisting the urge to bang his head against the desk. "Make a note to remind me to call her. Tomorrow." he said.

"Alright. I'll bring your lunch in when it gets here." she said, turning for the door.

"Thank you, Vick." he said, giving her a nod.

Once the door to his office was once again shut, and he was left in peace, he let out a long sigh. Sometimes it didn't pay to get out of bed in the mornings. Reaching for one of the manila envelopes, he opened it and pulled out a small stack of papers, unsticking the small note attached to the front paper.

Mac -

These are precisely what I asked for. Thank you for wording them the way we

discussed on the phone. I trust few people, but rest assured, you're one of the few I do.

Dr. Brennan

Oliver gave a little smile seeing Dr. Brennan's loopy script. He was glad that he remembered what the good doctor had requested of him during a late night phone call a few days earlier. But, what really got to him was the part about having her trust. As a lawyer, trust wasn't an easy thing to come by with his clients, as most of them had been screwed over by a lawyer before. Opening his middle drawer, he stuck the note in it before turning to the stack of papers.

PARKER BOOTH EDUCATION TRUST

After checking each space, he nodded to himself, noting that each space was correct, and Dr. Brennan had signed where he had indicated, he moved on to the next set of forms.

HAYLEY BRENNAN EDUCATION TRUST

Once again, he checked to make sure everything was correct, which it was, before moving on to the next set.

EMMA BRENNAN EDUCATION TRUST

Seeing each separate set of forms signed, and all filled in just how they should be, and there were no problems with any of them, he set them all in his in-box, making a mental note to file them later. But first - lunch.

"Yeah, Russ, I did." Brennan nodded, turning toward the balloon/flower bouquet that Russ and Amy sent. "Tell them I said thanks." she said.

"I will, Sis. Oh, but the balloons are from the girls. They wanted to send you something, too, so we let them add those to the flowers." Russ said, smiling in the direction of the girls playing in the yard as he sat in the kitchen talking to his sister.

Brennan chuckled, reaching up and giving the balloons a light tap. "I figured, Russ. I mean, teddy bears on pink balloons isn't exactly the kind of thing I picture you or Amy sending." she said.

Russ laughed, reaching for his bottle of beer on the table in front of him. "Well, I mean, Amy does like teddy bears, so..." he said, smiling as he got another laugh out of his sister. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and asked what he wanted to ask originally when he called. "So, have you made a decision yet, Tempe?"

"About what?", she asked, confused.

Russ sighed, hoping that instead of being difficult, she had just forgotten. "About taking that teaching job at the university, Tempe."

"Russ..."

"I think you should take it. And, I'll have you know, Dad agrees with me." he said, cutting her off.

"Russ..."

"It's the best thing for you, Tempe, if you think about it." he said, interrupting her once again. "It'll be less dangerous." he added.

"I know that, Russ, I do." Brennan agreed, giving Booth a smile as he entered her room, a bag containing take out from Mama's in his hand. "But, I think...I know...I'm going to stay with the Jeffersonian." she said.

Russ groaned, leaning his head back and looking toward the ceiling. "But, Tempe..."

"No, Russ." she said sternly. "I love the Jeffersonian. I enjoy the work I do there. I like the people. The people I work with have become family to me..."

"Don't I know it." he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"...and, what's more," she said, continuing on, "is the work I do is important, Russ."

"I know it is, Tempe, but...Christ sake, can't you give up the danger part? I mean, I thought you were a scientist who worked in a lab?" he argued.

"I am, Russ. And, to be honest, yes, I could do without the dangers that come with the job I do, but that's only a small part."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Tempe!" Russ exclaimed. "You've been shot, stabbed, blown up, kidnapped, stalked, and buried alive! Just about the only thing you haven't been is poisoned!"

"Don't you think I know all that, Russ?" Brennan asked, angrily. "You think I've forgotten all of that?" she yelled.

Booth was becoming concerned as he watched Bones' face turn a dark red as she continued to get angrier and angrier. "What?" he mouthed, frowning when she shook her head at him.

"I know exactly where every scar on my body came from, Russ! Every. Single. One." she said through gritted teeth. "Besides, let's say I take that job, and I give a student a grade he doesn't agree with. What's to keep him from coming back and shooting me, Russ? Nothing. Any job has dangers, Russ. It's just a part of life."

"Not yours!" he yelled, throwing his beer across the kitchen in anger, hearing it shatter against the wall. "You're supposed to identify human remains, Tempe! Safe in a boring lab, with a boring job! Not out playing cop with an FBI agent who doesn't give two shits about your safety!"

"Don't you dare pin any of that on Booth, Russ! I made him bring me out in the field!" she yelled, her voice going up in pitch as she got angrier. "He didn't want to bring me into the field, Russ!"

"But yet, you're still out there with him! Getting hurt!" Russ exclaimed. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm down before he continued. "This university gig is what's best for you, Tempe. Don't make any big decisions just yet, but promise...promise me...you'll at least give it a consideration. A serious consideration." he requested.

Brennan was silent for a moment, trying not to lash out at her brother. She knew, after several conversations with both Booth and Angela, and one extremely unwanted conversation with Sweets, that he, along with Max, only wanted the best for her. And if they got pushy about it, which they often did, it was only because they were trying to make up for abandoning her when she was younger, trying to push their way back into her life.

"Russ, I know you mean well, and I know that our relationship has grown, and it's finally at steady place, but you need to realize something, and that's that I'm not your kid sister anymore. I'm an adult, Russ, and I'm extremely capable of making my own decisions. You don't get to say, 'Do this, because it's the best choice', and I'm going to listen. I made a life for myself here, and you can't expect me to just walk away from it because I have a few bad things happen to me." she said.

Russ snorted. "A few bad things?" he asked.

"Yes, Russ, that's all those events were. But, if I compare that to the...satisfaction...I get when we catch a murderer, which happens more often than me getting shot, or stabbed, or hurt in general, than it's nothing. I count the catching of a murderer as a good day, Russ. And, yes, I have bad days, when we don't catch a murderer, or one of us gets hurt, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, Russ." she said, smiling as she watched a small smile cross Booth's face at hearing her words to her brother.

Russ sighed again. He knew there was no getting through to his sister, but he had to try.

"Listen, Russ, I got to go. Booth just brought in lunch." she said.

"Alright. I love you, Tempe." Russ sighed.

"I love you, too."

"Hey, Tempe?"

"Yes?"

"Marco."

Brennan's eyes filled with tears as she smiled into the phone.

"Polo." she said quietly, clicking the phone off.

Review please.

'Til next time!

XOXO - Onyx Obsidian