Brakes screeched as Agent Perotta pulled up, jumping out of her car. Hodgins and Brennan gasped for air as they rolled over, checking themselves for injuries and looking at the destroyed boundary stone. Papers flew everywhere as Perotta screamed, "What the hell is going on here?"

"You okay?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah, come on," Brennan answered as she stood. They got up and ran back to her car.

"FBI. Now," Perotta commanded.

In the FBI conference room, Perotta explained what had happened to the federal judge who had threatened Brennan and Hodgins the previous evening.

"We followed Dr. Brennan's car to the boundary stone. We arrived moments after the explosion.

"What the hell were you people doing?" the judge asked.

"We have nothing to say," Brennan spoke up.

Perotta continued. "We found evidence at the crime scene believed to be related to the Grave Digger investigation."

Then, U.S. Attorney Heather Taffet spoke up. "I believe they returned evidence to the Grave Digger."

"Agent Perotta, you will deny all of these people access to this case," the judge ordered.

"May I make a request, your honor?" Brennan asked. "I'd like to see Thomas Vega's remains. I need to examine them immediately."

"You will examine nothing," he denied. "You people will stay away from anything to do with the Grave Digger."

Everyone looked around at each other, but Darcy's eyes were locked with Heather Taffet's in a staring match. Something wasn't right about that woman, Darcy was sure of that.

"It's been almost two hours," Darcy informed as they made their way out of the FBI building. "Why hasn't the Grave Digger sent us Booth's coordinates?"

"I think we have to accept that the Grave Digger isn't going to release Booth. He's cleaning up," Sweets informed.

Darcy immediately turned and slapped him. "Don't you DARE say that Sweets!" she yelled, getting the attention of many agents in the hallway. Wendell grabbed Darcy by her shoulders and pulled her away as the girl started crying again, shaking his head at Sweets. Brennan decided to continue their conversation, she'd check in on the girl later.

"Cleaning up?"

"Yeah, he destroyed the evidence. Now he's trying to destroy everyone who had gotten close to him – Vega, Agent Booth, you and Hodgins."

"It's over. Booth's dead," Hodgins stated as he hit the elevator button. "It's my fault. We're out of options."

Hodgins' statement got another squeak out of Darcy, and Brennan empathized with her on the inside but stayed cool and rational on the outside. "No. No. It's not over, and I know exactly who to ask for help."

The group climbed into the elevator, ready to get back to saving Booth.

Brennan and Darcy walked into The Founding Fathers, and there at the bar was Jared Booth.

Jared looked up and asked, "So what's so important you couldn't tell me on the phone?"

"Booth was kidnapped, by the Grave Digger, Jared," Darcy informed, stepping forward. "Do you remember me? I'm his foster child, Darcy. We met back in November."

"Seeley's been kidnapped?" he asked. "When?"

"Our time is up in six hours. Please, Jared, I need you to get them the remains of a murder victim and bring them to Dr. Brennan," Darcy requested.

"I'm in military intelligence, Darcy. We don't hijack dead bodies."

"Please, Jared. His name is Thomas Vega," she continued.

"You guys want me to steal the remains of a murder victim from the FBI?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," Darcy deadpanned.

"As soon as possible, please," Dr. Brennan added.

"I can make a few calls," he offered.

"No!" Darcy exclaimed. "This is not a situation where you make a few phone calls!"

"That's who I am, Darcy! I am the guy who makes a few calls!"

That's when Brennan stepped in. "Booth has NEVER turned his back on you. You are a selfish coward, and you never deserved him."

Brennan turned and walked out of the door. Darcy stood there, watching him for a second, before following the scientist.

An hour after the women left Jared Booth standing at the bar, the Jeffersonian doors opened, and a bunch of military men in uniform walked the body of Thomas Vega into the lab, along with Jared Booth.

"Vega's remains," he informed.

"Thank you," Brennan sighed.

They took him up on the platform and began to exam him, leaving Darcy, Angela, and Sweets downstairs.

Darcy sat in Brennan's office, staring at her cell phone. Dakota had already texted, asking why she wasn't in school today, and she told him that she wasn't feeling well after the night before. At least it wasn't a total lie. She was so exhausted; her bones ached and whenever she blinked she felt like never opening her eyes again. Who would she go to if Booth dies? Was he already dead?

She had already called his phone six times, to no avail. She wished she could return home, see if it was left there when it was kidnapped, but she couldn't stand to leave the lab if she could help.

She felt pretty damn useless at the moment.

Just then, she heard a knock on the door. She turned and saw Sweets, standing in the doorway. She nodded, allowing him to come in.

"I'm sorry for slapping you earlier," she started, not looking at him.

"I understand, Darcy."

"Do you? Do you understand?" she asked bitterly. "Do you understand what's going to happen to me, if Booth dies? He's the only father I've ever had in my life."

"You'll go to another family, hopefully, one who doesn't beat you, and you'll grieve for Agent Booth. You'll try to move on, graduate from high school, get on with your life," Sweets offered.

"And how do you know this?" she asked.

"I was in the system, too, Darcy. I know what it's like."

She scoffed. "How long were you in the system for? A few months, until Mr. and Mrs. Finley adopted you?"

"No, about eight years," he corrected.

"You know, I remember the days we would all play together," she smiled up at him. "Mr. and Mrs. Finley, my mom loved them, she used to talk to them when Steven wasn't home, and they told her all about how they loved us, and you, and they were so excited, Sweets. Mom used to take us over there and Mrs. Finley would just hug us to death. She used to have us help her in the kitchen, and sometimes, she'd offer to watch us for mom. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah, I remember," Sweets smiled. "They worried about you and your brother every day after you guys were taken away."

"They always were like family to us," Darcy smiled.

"They passed away about a year ago," Sweets stated. Darcy snapped her head up to look at him. "Right before I met your foster father, actually," Sweets added.

"Oh God, Sweets, I'm so sorry," Darcy offered.

Sweets nodded, and together they sat in comfortable silence.

Not long after their talk, an alarm started going off on the platform. Sweets and Darcy ran out to see Heather Taffet climbing the platform stairs. Sweets and Darcy went around the back way, Cam swiping them up.

"I have an injunction here reclaiming jurisdiction in this case," she announced.

"On what grounds?" asked Jared.

"One missing FBI agent is not a case of national security."

Jared looked at the subordinates and ordered them away to "get a coffee."

Brennan walked up, Darcy close behind.

"Do you have the warrant?" Brennan asked.

"Right here," Taffet answered. "Signed by the judge." When she held out the warrant, her hand and arm shook, as if it hurt to hold her arm up like that. Brennan almost immediately caught on.

"I don't think there's any more reason for us to keep the truth from Ms. Taffet," she started slowly, looking her in the eyes.

"No, wait, the grave Digger said that we-"

"You've been in touch with the Grave Digger?" Taffet interrupted Jared. "The Grave Digger has Agent Booth?"

"She can't seem to extend her arm," Brennan whispered to Hodgins.

"What?" Hodgins asked, looking her up and down. "Oh."

"What do you think?"

"About what?" Jared asked.

"It's possible," Hodgins continued. He stared the woman down, and Darcy began to catch on. "She had complete access to FBI files and evidence. Nobody wanted the Grave Digger case. It's a career killer. But with Kurland out of the way…"

"Have you injured yourself recently, Ms. Taffet?" Brennan asked.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" she deflected.

Hodgins lunged for her, but he was caught by Jared and Brennan. "Don't let Dr. Hodgins go," Brennan commanded. "Could I see the warrant, please?"

When Taffet outstretched her arm again, Brennan reached for the warrant, and instead shoved Ms. Taffet in her side. Heather let out a groan of pain, hunching over and breathing heavily.

"Broken ribs," Brennan diagnosed.

"She's the Grave Digger?" Darcy asked.

"It's her," Hodgins confirmed.

"Can you prove it?" Jared asked.

"No, we can't. Is that a problem?"

"Not for me," Jared responded. He lunged at her, grabbing by her throat and pulling her up. "You got a place to lock her up?"

They zip tied her wrists together behind an office chair, which was sitting in another room off of the main platform.

"Where's Booth?" Darcy asked.

"She's not going to say anything," Sweets called.

"You haven't even asked."

"Yeah, I've read extensively on the Grave Digger," Sweets started. "I'm acquainted with the profile. Very intelligent, very calm. She won't speak."

"Then what do we do?"

"You have to do Spring Cleaning on her," Hodgins informed.

"What is that?" Angela asked. "Is that some kind of torture or something?"

"Nothing," Jared answered. "Doesn't exist."

"The government keeps secret, black, illegal files on every U.S. citizen," Hodgins explained. "It's called spring cleaning because everything is brought out into the light and turned upside down."

"Okay. That is complete paranoia, right?" Sweets laughed.

Jared stayed silent for a moment before giving in. "I'll need access to a secure terminal."

"Follow me," Cam said.

"And only conspiracy nuts call it spring cleaning," he added.

The squints plus Darcy all stood in the room, staring down Taffet.

"I'd like to kill you," Hodgins threatened. "I hate her. I think I could murder her."

"If any group of people could murder someone and get away with it, it would be us," Brennan added.

Jared stalked back inside, grabbing the chair and facing Taffet towards him. "I'm not going to ask you any questions," he started. "I'm just going to tell you what's going on right now. I went through your file.

"As Heather Taffet, you have led a very tiny, transparent life. But in 1998, you married a man named William Burton for exactly one month before you had the marriage annulled.

"Which was long enough to create an entire identity, a whole untraceable identity, which you used for one thing and one thing only – to rent a storage locker in Spring Hill.

"I got you, bitch."

"You have got to get your hands on some truth telling drugs," Hodgins said as he walked over to Sweets.

"What?"

"Would you rather torture her?"

"I know a little bit about that," Jared piped up.

"No. What? We don't do that," Sweets rejected.

"Booth will die," Brennan argued.

"Character is who you are under pressure, not who you are when everything's fine," Sweets spat. "We're the good guys. We don't, we don't torture people!"

Finally, Cam gave in. "Evidence is being compiled against you as we speak, Ms. Taffet. Tell us where Agent Booth is. You don't want another murder on your head."

"Okay, see? That's not going to work," Sweets repeated. "Her pathology necessitates controlling the game. She's created her own morality. She's not going to relinquish control."

Angela walked in then. "Hey, they brought in everything from her storage locker."

"Okay, back to work, everybody," Cam commanded.

Hodgins grabbed the work boots on the table. "Hold up, these boots were worn recently," he said as he walked away towards his station.

"Hey, uh, Jared, can I see your black file of spring cleaning or whatever?" Darcy asked.

He watched her for a moment before walking towards her. "The contents are on my P.D.A."

"Talk to me while you analyze," Cam instructed.

"Aedes sollicitans, it's a common marsh mosquito," Hodgins identified. "Blood's still in its gut."

"Indicating that it was worn how recently?"

"At least in the last 24 hours for sure. But wait a second…" He stopped and pulled something out of the boot track. "I got some paint chips here."

"Run it through the mass spec, see if there's anything special about that paint."

"I'm on it," he answered.

It wasn't very long until Hodgins came back, pulling his results up on the screen. "Active amine hydrogen, epoxy, hydroxyapatite, and silica," he read. "It's an obsolete composition of deck coating used by the Navy prior to 1961."

"So, she was on a Navy vessel with him in the last 24 hours?" Cam confirmed.

"Yeah, an old one. Most like decommissioned."

"Wait a minute, a ship?" Darcy cut in. "Listen to this: Taffet was a volunteer at the aquarium," she read off of Jared's P.D.A. "They were prepping some sort of old navy ship to be sunk."

"What?" Hodgins asked.

"They're making some sort of reef," she finished.

"The navy's not afraid of explosions or sinking ships," Jared added. "Plus, it'll really annoy my brother, the army Ranger, to be saved by a squid," he said as he held his phone to his ear.

Darcy went and found Dr. Brennan, who was in the room with Sweets and Taffet. "Dr. Brennan," she said. "We know where Booth is. Jared is getting a helicopter to take us there. He's on an old navy ship."

Brennan processed the information and went to follow Darcy out, but on her way, grabbed a briefcase off of the floor and swung it at Taffet, hitting her with it and knocking her over.

"Damn, Dr. Brennan!" Darcy laughed. "I've been wanting to do that for hours now!"

While on the helicopter, Jared's voice came through the headphones.

"Temperance, Darcy, can you hear me? I'm patched through via cell phone."

"Jared?" Brennan asked. "I don't understand, why aren't you in the helicopter with us?"

"Typical navy red tape, nothing to worry about, but listen, they couldn't cancel the detonation, something's wrong with the transponder."

"What do we do now?" Darcy asked.

"The ship blows in nine minutes. The navy's only given you five to get there and get Seeley off."

"No, Jared, Booth could be anywhere on that ship. Five minutes is not enough time," Brennan argued.

"These guys don't negotiate, Tempe. They won't risk any more lives."

"Are you all right?" Darcy asked.

"It's all worth it as long as you save my brother."

The ship came in sight and the helicopter pulled around to the bow, hovering close. They saw Booth standing there, on the deck. Darcy pulled the door open.

"Booth!" Brennan screamed. "Hurry! Come on!"

"Come on, Dad!" Darcy screamed, not even noticing what she'd just called him.

He looked back at something, but they weren't sure what.

"Hurry, Booth, come on!" Brennan screamed again.

"Hurry up, they're about to leave!" Darcy's throat burned.

Booth came to his senses and came running, climbing into the helicopter. He sat down and closed the door and Darcy grabbed him close, with Brennan latching on, too. The helicopter took off as the ship blew, and they all cried.

The next day, Booth, Brennan, and Darcy stood at Arlington National Cemetery. It was the anniversary of Corporal Teddy Parker's death.

The night before, he'd been checked into the hospital, both for his injuries and to keep him under observation after the trauma he'd undergone in the last 24 hours.

"Thanks for coming to get me, guys," Booth said.

"You should've stayed in the hospital another day," she reprimanded.

"No, I didn't mean getting me out of the hospital. I meant coming out on the helicopter to the ship. Thanks for saving my life," he rambled.

Darcy and Brennan nodded before the latter decided to lighten the mood. "I got you this," she offered.

Booth chuckled at the belt buckle she'd offered him. "Cocky! How did you find that? That's so hard to find!"

"I read through your report," Brennan continued. "Seems you would need two people to do most of what you did."

"I had help. It was a ghost," he admitted.

"You were injured, drugged, disoriented, breathing bad air," she excused. "There are no such things as ghosts."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself there, Bones," he smiled.

They sat in silence for a minute before Darcy's curiosity got the best of her.

"Whose ghost?" she asked.

"He's buried over there," he pointed out.

"The ghost?"

"Corporal Edward Parker. He was slain while serving his country…he was 20. He was just a kid."

"Was it, um, your fault that he died?" Darcy asked.

Booth hesitated before shaking his head. "Fortunes of war. It wasn't my fault." He nodded towards a woman. "You see that woman over there? Her name is Claire. I have a message for her from Teddy."

"What, a message from a ghost?" Brennan asked incredulously.

"You guys wait here, okay?" he went over to go talk to Claire.

"But you're going to deliver a message to that woman from a ghost?" Brennan asked again.

Claire looked up at Booth. He spoke to her before hugging her.

As Brennan and Darcy stood under that tree, a young man in dress uniforms came walking towards them.

"Beautiful day," he commented. "It makes you glad to be alive, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," Darcy answered.

Booth looked towards his girls and saw Teddy standing with them, who raised his arm to wave. Booth waved back, and Darcy and Brennan waved at him.

When Darcy turned back, the young man was gone.