CHAPTER 21: Death Wish

AN: Thank you so much for all the great reviews for the last chapter. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. So with out tooo much of a wait, here's the next installment. R&R!!!

Max was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and sipping his coffee, when Temperance and Booth made their appearance.

"Make yourself comfortable." Booth muttered under his breath, as he took the furthest seat from the known convict, AKA-- his girlfriends dad.

Unfortunately, Max heard his comment, and scowled. "Like you made yourself comfortable with my daughter?"

Booth couldn't hide the flush that crept up his neck and spread across his face. "Umm, about that... I hope you know that I love her with all my heart."

"I know that, boy. If I didn't... you'd be fighting for your life right now."

Booth believed him.

"Dad." Temperance groaned. "Booth is not the first man I've been with, in fact--"

Max covered his ears in a childish gesture. "LA LA LA LA."

Temperance closed her mouth, shaking her head disapprovingly at her father's antics.

After he was sure that she wasn't going to continue her sentence, he lowered his hands and smiled at her. "How are you doing, baby?"

She shrugged, still not entirely comfortable with her Dad's endearments. "Some one put a hit on me, which I'm sure you already knew, and that's why you're here right now." She watched his face closely, as she deliberately delivered the message of her hit.

Max was silent, fear and anger washing through him. Yes, he knew. And he felt damn helpless. The anger deepened into full blown rage. "I'm looking into it."

Temperance didn't even try to suppress the relief flooding through her. If her dad was after information, he would go to any lengths to get it. She briefly thought about the terrifying time when Booth was kidnapped, and she and her father worked together to get him back. Max Keenan was a ruthless man, but sometimes being ruthless wasn't a bad thing. In that regard, Temperance was more like her father than she cared to admit.

"Do you have any idea who would do this?" Booth asked, switching to Agent-mode.

Max raised an eyebrow. "If I did, he'd be lit up light a fucking torch on the fourth of July."

"There has already been three attempts on her life." Booth shook his head in disgust. "Agent Sullivan admitted to planting evidence for whoever is doing this. He claims to not know the identity, but he says that it's a powerful person."

"Tim Sullivan?"

His voice was so low, that they they had to strain to hear him. Temperance felt the surge of darkness, of danger, something lethal and deadly emanating from him.

"Dad..." She warned. "Sully is not to be lit on fire, is that clear?"

"But honey, he betrayed you." He said, as if that was a perfectly logical reason to light someone on fire.

"Dad!"

"Oh, come on, Bones. Don't be so hard."

"Booth!"

"Fine, I promise." Max finally conceded. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't rough him up a bit. The thought made him smile.

Back to business, Max leveled Booth with a frightening stare. "You will keep her safe." It wasn't a question. And Booth was pretty good at reading between the lines. If he failed, he was dead. What the man didn't know was that if he failed, he was dead anyway. It wouldn't matter if he was walking around or in the ground.

"Daddy?" Parker appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes.

Booth held out his arms to his son, and the little boy ran to him. "How'd you sleep, Bub?"

"I had a bad dream about Dr. Bones, Daddy."

Booth frowned. "What was it?"

"Someone was trying to hurt her." Tears filled his eyes, and in one quick movement, he dove from his father's lap into Brennan's.

Her arms wrapped around him with out hesitation. "Hey, it's okay." She soothed, running her fingers through is unruly hair. "I'm a tough lady, I'll be alright."

The boy looked up at her, "Could you beat up Daddy?"

Temperance laughed, amazed at the child's abrupt change in moods. "Absolutely."

"Cool." "No way!" They replied simultaneously.

Max watched the exchange with suspiciously wet eyes.

Noticing him for the first time, the little boy extended his hand.. "Hello, I'm Parker." He said, remembering his manners.

Max shook it, smiling at the adult gesture. "I'm Max."

Temperance kissed the child's head. "Max is my Daddy." She told him, unaware of the effect her words had on said man.

"When Dr. Bones and my Daddy get married, will you be my Grandpa?"

Booth winced at his son's words. The image of Max lighting the school bully on fire, for messing with his son sprang to mind.

"I'd love too, Parker." He said smiling widely. "I don't have any Grand kids, you know."

Temperance ignored the sudden tripping of her heart. For the first time since she found out that her father was alive, she wanted to throw herself in his arms, and cry into his chest. He had always been her pillar of strength growing up, and she needed that now more than ever. But the knowledge of his past sins held her back.

Booth seemed to notice her turbulent feelings, because reached over and grabbed her hand. With Booth touching her, she could keep her emotions in check.

He's your father Temperance, don't feel guilty for loving him.

Her eyes met his, and held. Wouldn't you?

I don't know. He answered honestly.

"Don't be sad, Dr. Bones." Parker whispered softly, snuggling deeper into her arms. Temperance wasn't sure if he heard their telepathic conversation, or if he could just feel her emotions.

Chuckling softly, she answered, "I'll try."

A phone began to shrill, and Max jumped up, muttering "Excuse me." He flipped open his phone. "Yeah?" He barked, exiting the kitchen.

Once he disappeared around the corner, Booth turned to his son. "Hey Buddy, why don't you go play in your room, while I make some pancakes, okay? Daddy has to talk to Dr. Bones and Max for a little bit about grown up stuff."

Parker tilted his head, "About the bad man? The one with the picture on his neck?"

This caught Booth's attention, and he knelt down, taking Parker by the shoulders. "What bad man? The one from your dream?"

Parker nodded.

"Could you describe him, Buddy?"

"I think so."

"Good, that's real good." He hugged his son briefly, before saying, "We'll go visit Aunt Angela at work later, and you can describe the bad man to her and she'll draw him, okay?"

"Okay Daddy. Can I go play with my Lego's now?"

"Go ahead."

As Parker scampered off, Booth faced Temperance. "Do you think it's legit?"

She nodded. "I can feel Parker's power, it's pretty strong Booth. I think maybe we should all take a trip to Agent Willis' house and talk to Evelyn. For one, we need to learn to keep Parker from hearing or seeing every mental image we send each other."

Booth motioned toward the door her father took. "You gonna tell him?"

"I don't know. Maybe some day."

As if on cue, Max re-entered the room, with a dark look on his face. "That was an old friend I had looking into things for me..." He looked from Booth to Temperance. "Sully was right, this is big." He rubbed his eyes wearily, aging ten years before their eyes. "We don't have a name yet, but whoever it is..."

As his voice trailed off again, Temperance was filled with dread. "What is it, Dad?"

With a defeated sigh he answered. "The hit came from a high-ranking goverment official. I don't know why, Baby, but someone in the goverment wants you dead."