Return Engagement

By LizD

Written April 2011

Chapter Fourteen

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Booth, Brennan and CJ were headed up I-17 in Arizona the very next morning after spending a very nice quiet, romantic evening at a resort in Scottsdale. It was a good start to their pre-honeymoon. Parker had other obligations for that weekend, but he would meet them in San Diego on Monday. It was a debate about letting him fly alone, but Parker insisted that he was old enough. At thirteen, nearly fourteen he was probably correct, but after their ordeal with CJ which neither Parker nor Rebecca knew anything about, it was a little nerve wracking for Booth and Brennan. Parker would fly first class courtesy of Brennan. Rebecca would to drop him off at the gate, and Booth would pick him up at the gate and alert the Air Marshalls to look out for him. It was a non-stop flight, so they had their bases covered. The parents and step parent were comforted. Parker was just thrilled to be flying first class. Going to San Diego was fun too.

When Maggie heard that Booth was coming, she halted her progress toward Prescott. She stayed in Flagstaff. Jared went on alone, promised to say nothing of Maggie. Booth hadn't heard from him since. That was not a good sign. He felt that his father's claim to be sober was less than true. Jared still didn't think of himself as an alcoholic. He thought of himself as someone who doesn't drink, which meant that he believed he could handle a drink now and then. Only time would tell about that theory.

The new family unit was to meet Maggie in Sedona. Booth had never been to Arizona before - everywhere else in the world, but never Arizona. The red rock beauty of Sedona took his breath away. He pulled over and got out to look at the majesty of Cathedral Rock in the early morning sun. Brennan was droning on about the make-up of the rocks being a thick layer of red to orange colored sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity. She said the area between Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock and Boynton Canyon was one of the vortices for the Harmonic Convergence back in 1987. She proudly stated that she was there with her parents at the time and saw nothing that made her believe that there was any special power in that location. She was eleven at the time.

Booth took her by her shoulders, turned her toward the red rocks and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Bones, it's beautiful."

She relaxed back into him. "Yes, yes it is."

He kissed her. "Gotta teach you how to stop and smell the roses, baby." He let her go to get back in the car.

She stood confused looking around.

"Bones?"

"I don't see any roses."

He smiled. "It's a thing ... just go with it. Let's go."

"Did you call me baby?" Booth shrugged. "I have agreed to the marriage, but patronizing terms of endearment are not acceptable."

"Whatever, Bones, let's go." He paused. "Sweet cheeks." A slow grin crossed his face. "Was that patronizing?"

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Maggie had been waiting at The Coffee Pot Restaurant for nearly an hour when Booth and Brennan with CJ arrived. She was immediately uncomfortable. She stood ready to walk away.

"Who's Madonna and child, Boothy Boy?"

Booth shot a look at Brennan and looked back at Maggie. "My fiancée."

Brennan squirmed but did not say anything.

"Fiancée? Is that a fancy way of saying that you knocked her up and have to marry her but haven't yet? Waiting for the paternity tests?"

"Sit down, Maggie," he ordered. "Maggie Carroll aka Margaret Jackson, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Brennan nodded. She wanted to add that she was a forensic anthropologist and his partner to drive home the fact that she was not some random female.

"Is the kid yours, Booth?" Maggie asked. "Cause it looks like you – not sure if that's a good thing. It's a girl right?" She looked over at Brennan. "But good for you, huh? Easier to convince him he's the dad."

"Ms Carroll -." Brennan started.

"Maggie," Booth interrupted. "We're here to help you get what is rightfully yours – so lose the attitude, OK?" He paused making sure she got that he was not amused. "Did you understand what I told you yesterday?"

"Yeah … something about winning the lottery."

"Not quite," Booth went on. "It seems that when you were bitten by a dog as a child, there was a financial settlement. It wasn't much and was supposed to go to the cost of plastic surgery when you were old enough."

"For what? These scars on my legs and neck … that's stupid."

"Be that as it may," Brennan interrupted thinking that she might have more luck with her. "The money was invested and apparently invested very wisely. The value of your portfolio is now close to a million dollars."

"Get the fuck out!" Maggie shouted. "You on the level?"

"Yes," Brennan confirmed and presented her with the statement that Angela has retrieved.

"Says Margaret Carroll Jackson Trust - what is that? Why is my name on a trust? What's a trust?"

"A trust is -."

Booth cut Brennan off. "The money was held for you until you turned twenty-two. No one could touch it, including you. It's wrapped up as part of your inheritance from your mother."

"My mother? How did she get into this? She's been dead for eighteen years. Left me a locket and that's it."

"Not true," Booth said. "The house and land, Tara's house and land were put in your mother's name before she married Billy Booth. It went to you when your mother died. Since Tara was made your legal guardian, she was to maintain control of it until you reached the age of 22."

"William Booth has been able to take a second mortgage on the house," Brennan stated. "With the market the way it is, the house is upside down."

"You haven't even seen it yet," Maggie exclaimed.

"The amount owed on it is more than the amount it is worth," Brennan restated.

"So if all of this is mine, what does Billy want with me. Wouldn't it be better for him if I never knew this? He can keep living there, for all I care. He can't really care if I see Gram before she dies."

"He will probably try to get you to sign over the house and land -."

"Like I said." She knew that from before. "But if it is ... what did you say? Upside down? What does he want it for - why doesn't he just walk away?"

Booth and Brennan shared a look. Booth looked back at Maggie. "Since you didn't know about the trust, we suspect he will try to get you to sign that over to him as well. He would just slip it in with the rest of the paperwork and you would be none the wiser."

"Do you know this for a fact?"

"No, but you know Billy – what do you think?"

"Real piece of work that guy." She started to light a cigarette but the waitress warned her not to with a stern look. "I can see you have a real high opinion of him too, huh?" She waved for more coffee. "Yeah, well, he's taking a chance bringing me back to town. I got some shit on him that he don't want coming out."

Booth's ears pricked up. "Like what?"

"He didn't kill a guy, so you can wipe that drool off your mouth, but he's no straight arrow. And his friends aren't clean either – dirty sick bastards that they are."

"Would you care to share?" Booth didn't want to press her, but he wanted to know in some protective uncle way.

Maggie looked like she might tell him but changed her mind. To air Billy Booth's dirty laundry would not reflect too well on her either. Of course she was a kid through most of it, but that didn't really matter. "If you are going to arrest him, I will tell you, but if you just want to know so that you can have more reasons to be glad he bailed on you; then forget it."

Booth sat back. He glanced over at Brennan who had been quiet for a while. He smiled at her. "You know me - justice first, family connection second."

Maggie shook her head confused.

Brennan looked back at her. "Booth arrested my father years ago - but he did kill a man, so Booth had to."

"I was nice about it," Booth protested reaching out to press her hand.

"Eventually my father was not found guilty and we're all friends now," Brennan finished the story.

"How long have you two known each other?"

"Eight years ... we were partners first," Brennan explained.

"Thought you were some kind of egg head doctor."

"I'm a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institution working in the Medico-Legal lab and working with the FBI to solve murder cases when the victim is too decomposed to be identified with conventional methods."

"Yeah, that." Maggie looked back at Booth. "The warehouse thing?"

He nodded.

"Did you ever catch the guy responsible?"

"We believe the person or persons responsible are dead, so there are no leads to pursue."

"Sucks."

"Yes, it's far better to bring people to justice than accept their death as resolution of a crime," Brennan commented. CJ started to fuss. Brennan took her out of the carrier.

Maggie snorted a laugh. "Right, Justice … Like that happens." She looked back at Booth. "What?"

"Do you want to tell me about Billy?"

She considered. "There's probably not enough to get him tossed in jail, but enough to get him killed." It would still reflect badly on her. She shook her head no. "No great loss." She saw Booth wince. "Sorry, guess he is still your dad."

"You have known him longer than I have."

"Whatever." Maggie looked back at Brennan who was now breastfeeding CJ at the table in the restaurant in front of God and everybody. "Oh, hell no!" She looked helplessly at Booth. "Seriously?"

"It is very natural and in the western culture it is normal to be offended by the public display. But I assure you, you're in the world's minority. Human breast milk is the healthiest form of milk for human babies," Brennan stated.

"As opposed to baboon babies?"

"Or cow's milk for humans," Brennan said. "Breast milk promotes health and helps to prevent disease."

"Suppose you never have to worry about warming up a bottle and it has to save on dishes."

"Nutritionally, breast milk has the correct balance of fat, sugar, water and protein that an infant needs for development. It has been associated with higher intelligence, reduced occurrence of diabetes, childhood obesity and allergies. It's good for the mother as well promoting infant/mother bonding, weight loss and the release of the hormones oxytocin and prolactin that relax the mother. "

"Did you ever think of putting her on Jeopardy?" Maggie asked Booth. "You'd clean up."

Booth just smiled, but couldn't take his eyes off of Brennan and CJ. He loved how soft, calm, natural, loving and nurturing Brennan was with CJ at this time. There was no sign of the socially awkward, super brain, partner that he had come to appreciate – just the tender woman he loved. He wondered how many kids Brennan would want. He would like one more – maybe two. He wanted one child to be conceived and born the old fashion way – the REAL old fashion way. But he had to get her to the altar first – well at least to the Justice of the Peace.

"So, what's the plan, Stan?" Maggie asked stirring Booth from his thoughts.

"We go down to Prescott. Let you visit with your grandmother. Collect the information we need about your trust and then you can go anywhere you want to go."

"What's your cut?" she asked.

Booth would have been offended by her question, but it was reasonable for her to think that a Booth would have some mercenary motivation to help her considering what she could have suffered at the hands of Billy Booth.

"Nothing," he said flatly. "I'm here to see that you are treated fairly and not take advantage of."

"A white knight, huh?"

"Something like that."

"What about that brother of yours?" She shifted her position. "What's his deal?"

"Jared was pretty young when Dad left," Booth explained. "I don't think he really understood what happened or what was happening. So I assume he wants to confront our father – make some peace with it."

"Well, best I can tell ... you were adopted, 'cause Billy and your bro-boy Jared - well let's just say that that apple didn't fall far from that tree."

Booth sat up straighter. He was annoyed that she presumed to know who Jared was after a few hours with him. "Jared has had his problems, but I can't agree with that. He was definitely helped by his stint in the Navy. He is doing very well now. In a solid relationship, has quit drinking and is really turned his life around."

"From your lips, baby." Maggie shrugged. "But I've seen a ton of guys like Jared. With a couple of bad breaks he could be a copy of his dad."

Booth really hoped she was wrong. He and Brennan shared a look. Brennan had ceased having an opinion about Jared a long time ago. She deferred to Booth and never commented and she was nice to Jared when and if they were together.

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Jared woke in the bed of the pick-up. His head was pounding, his teeth felt like they were wearing socks; he could smell the vomit all around him and taste the blood in his mouth. He remembered very little of the night before but assumed it would come back in bits and pieces. He tried to sit up and every muscle in his body ached. He pulled himself up and saw blood and cuts on his knuckles. He remembered the feeling from his first days in the Navy – his heaviest drinking days. He had gotten drunk and gotten into a fight. Since he wasn't in the hospital he had to think he won. He slid to the end of the gate and slid out of the truck. His legs were barely strong enough to hold him. He worked his way around the truck. The front end was wrapped around a tree. He got to the passenger side and looked in. There was an old man lying across the front seat who also looked like he had been in a fight. It took a minute to recognize him. It was his father. He reached into see if he was still breathing. He was. Jared sunk down to the ground and dropped his head in his hands. What the hell happened?

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