If anyone is still reading this. I"m pretty embarrassed about how long it's take me to update. I could spend the rest of this AN apologizing, but if you've clicked on this, that's the last thing you want to read. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know if you do.

Chapter 21

Early Morning,

July 25, 1934

When the ecstasy had waned, intimacy was left behind. Booth kissed Brennan's shoulder blade, and nestled his head into her shoulder, caressing her stomach all the while. He felt none of the guilt nor doubts that had marred the first time they had been together.

Brennan felt the hot brush of Booth's lips and fingers on her skin and she was awoken from the slight doze she had been lulled into. She grasped his hands so she could focus her thoughts. She had no regrets about what they'd done, and yet she knew they had much to talk about. She was surprised to find that she felt no dread, simply a reluctance to break the moment. But the sooner they talked the sooner they could resume their newfound physical intimacy.

"Booth?"

"Hmmm?" With his hands impeded from wandering, his lips took over their movements.

"Do you still feel guilty?"

Booth's lips stopped their progress down her shoulder, "What?" and Brennan exhaled a small sigh of regret at the loss of contact.

"Do you feel guilty about us and Sully?"

Booth looked down at his wife in surprise, when had she become so perceptive?

"Don't look at me like that Booth. I've known you long enough to recognize how you feel."

"No, I don't feel guilty, not now. I feel..." his heart said loved, but his brain said, "happy. I'm happy when I'm with you Bones."

"So you no longer feel a sense of obligation?"

"No, I don't. I felt guilty at first, about the first time that we... well, you know what we did."

"Don't you usually refer to it as making love?" She said in a teasing voice.

Booth ran his hand through his hair, as he pondered how to answer her question. "Bones, the reason I felt guilty was because I felt that I was taking advantage of you, of your grief. I couldn't think of it as making love."

Although, she had used the word love in jest, Brennan felt a pang at his words. She pushed her emotions aside as she arrived at the crux of the matter.

"If you no longer feel guilty, then that means that you won't pursue Nelson?"

"Bones, even if you and I had never happened, I would still be going after Nelson. I owe it to Sully. He saved my life, the least I could do is bring his murderer to justice."

"How did he save your life?"

"It was during the war, we were just kids but we were so eager for the glory. The first action we saw was in the Marne. It was mid-July and the Germans had attacked. We were sent in to reinforce the Allies. We'd pushed them back five days later, and we kept pushing, not only did their offensive fail, but they were losing ground. By the beginning of August, our division was facing heavy German artillery, I popped my head up out of the trench, setting my sights on some hoity-toit who looked like he could be German high command, when I felt something fly by my head. But it didn't just fly by my head, it cut open my scalp. Before I knew it I was bleeding out and everything had gone dark. Later, they told me that Sully had dropped his gun as soon as he saw me collapse. He bandaged me up before carrying me to the field hospital. When I asked him why he didn't leave me to the medics he said that he'd seen too many of us die waiting for the medics. He had to make sure that didn't happen to me."

"Don't you think that he would rather you preserve your life instead of risking it trying to catch Nelson?"

"I don't understand, Bones. I risk my life every day, you know that. Why should it bother you if I do it in D.C. or in Chicago?"

"I don't understand it either. It's completely irrational, but I feel better when you're with me. I know you'll scoff at this, but I feel that you are safer, with me there to protect you." Despite her impressive strides, Brennan still felt vulnerable as the words left her mouth.

"When Hayley was still a baby, my parents and Russ left on a job. Russ lost his life and my parents could never return to theirs." At Booth's expression of surprise, Brennan held up her hand. "Booth, I have something to confess to you. I probably should have told you this a long time ago, but I wasn't sure what you would do. I wasn't even sure what I would want you to do. But my parents were bank robbers. The FBI knows them as Max and Ruth Keenan. Fifteen years ago, their crew turned on them, and Russ ended up paying the price for my parents' misdeeds. They got away with their lives, but they couldn't come back home."

"Bones..."

Brennan became defensive at his tone of pity. "No, Booth, don't."

Booth sighed knowing he had little to offer her. He knew what she wanted, his assurance that he wouldn't go after Nelson. But he wasn't prepared to give that to her. Even after his experience in Chicago, he couldn't give up on justice for Sully. So, instead he simply wrapped his arms around her once again and when he felt her relax against him, he spoke. "I'm not going to pretend that your parents' past isn't a problem. But there's really no choice in the matter. I'm never going to be able to arrest them. I know it would hurt you too much."

"But what about the Bureau?"

"The Bureau's got bigger fish to fry, your parents haven't pulled a job in a long time, they move down the wanted list every week. Besides they were at our wedding and not a single agent recognized them. Their posters don't even look like them."

"Yes, I'm sure Angela would have done a much better job."

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, I do, it seems that sharing the truth with you makes me feel better."

"See Bones, you should share everything with your husband."

During their conversation, Booth's hands had escaped hers and now they took the opportunity to encompass her waist. His hands signaling exactly what she should share with her husband and as she turned towards him her face shone with happiness. Their mutual joy at being free to touch each other inevitably turned to desire and conversation was left for a later time.

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July 27, 1934

With all their secrets finally out in the open, Booth had important business to take care of. The day after Brennan had told him about her worries, Booth had called his brother asking for a favor.

He walked into Booth Investigations and nodded towards Cam, who smirked at him conspiratorially. "About time you sorted this all out."

"Yeah, well, I'm not gonna let that crumb bother Bones again. This ends today." And with that he opened the door to his brother's office and stalked in.

Erick Sullivan looked up when he heard the door open. Booth was pleased to see a bruise forming around the eye of his quarry.

"He give you a hard time?"

"Just a bit. But he calmed right down once I gave him that shiner." Jared said as he took a drink from his flask. Booth sighed inwardly, but nonetheless he kept quiet, they needed to present a united front. Turning his attention back to a seething Erick, Booth focused his annoyance on him.

"Listen, and listen good. I ever see you around Bones again, I'll pummel you. I don't care what you think about me or Bones anymore, you stay away from her."

"You think I'm some yellow coward? I'll find a way to make you pay for your betrayal!"

"Quit bumping your gums!" Jared interjected, "You're not gonna do shit!"

Booth calmed his little brother with just one glance, letting him know that he would handle it. Jared nodded and left the room, Booth watching him go. When he turned around, it was to Erick's fist heading towards his face. Without thinking, Booth captured Erick's wrist and twisted.

"You better stop hollering and listen to what I have to say Erick, because this is the only time I'm gonna say it. I fell in love with Bones when she was with Sully. Heck, maybe it was even before then." Booth turned wistful until he felt Erick writhing from his grasp. He tightened his hold before continuing. "I would never have betrayed Sully, though. He was like a brother to me. What happened between me and Bones, happened because she needed someone to comfort her." Erick's snort of derision turned into a whimper of pain when the pressure on his wrist increased. 'Now you may not understand that, but that's what happened. It was because she loved Sully so much."

"Funny way of showing it!" Erick spat out.

"You can believe what you want, but like I said, if you so much as pass by her on the street I'll finish what I've started with your wrist. Understand?"

Seeing no other alternative, Erick had no choice but to nod. Booth promptly released him and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Cam and Jared both looked up when he came in.

"Easy on the door, Seel. I don't have money for a new one."

"Probably because you don't have any customers using it." Cam snorted in an effort to restrain her laughter at Booth's comment. Booth pulled out his wallet. "Here, in case I damaged the handcrafted details."

But Jared just shook his head, "I don't need my big brother digging me out of trouble all the time. I'll be fine."

"I'm not. I'm paying you for finding Erick for me. Saved me a lot of time."

"What are brothers for?" Jared crossed his arms, refusing to let Booth force him into taking the money.

Cam scoffed at the Booth brothers. "If you two don't stop with this ridiculous Tarzan dance, I'm gonna knock your heads together. Jared just take the money. We aren't exactly the Cantilever company here."

Jared took the money and promptly handed it over to Cam, as she did the finances. Then without another word, he went into his office to retrieve Erick. When he came back through, he was snarling as he shoved his unwelcome guest out the door.

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August 13, 1934

As had become customary since she had joined the Booth family, Brennan took a break to pick up Parker from school. She'd take him home to Hank, who would have a snack ready for them. Thus nourished, she'd go back to work.

Brennan parked across the street from Parker's school and waited in the automobile. Glancing around at her surroundings disinterestedly, her eyes caught by a golden hue. Her eyes grew wide as her mind processed what she was seeing. But Brennan was never one to sit quietly and wait for what was in store. Instead she got out of the car and slammed the door.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.