"Come on," Bones said when he walked into her office two days after she and John got back from Catalina.
"What are you going?" she asked as he grabbed her hand and her bag.
"Taking you to lunch," he said as he pulled her past Hikaru, Spock and Nyota, Stiles' replacement in HR.
"I'm not hungry."
"It's either food or an IV and feeding tube. Pick your pleasure," her best friend grumbled as he practically shoved her into his car. "Pick."
"Food."
"That's what I thought you'd say," he told her before he looked at Zahra. "You can follow us in her car."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jaime glared at him.
"You're working yourself into a stupor and you think I'm the problem. That's rich," he told her.
Jaime rolled her eyes and looked out the window as he drove, "Whatever."
"All the words in that big brain of yours and that's all I get? I think you hurt my feelings, kid."
"Bite me."
"You're on a roll. Keep going," Bones chuckled.
"You want me to insult you?"
"I want you to do whatever it is you need to do to feel better," he said.
"You can't help me with that," Jaime sighed.
Bones didn't say anything as he pulled up to this great burger joint that was between her office and the hospital. They got out of the car and headed inside. Jaime knew that Bones would actually admit her to the hospital if she didn't eat. So as much as it pissed her off, she ordered lunch.
"You gonna talk to me?" Bones gave her a look after their waiter walked away.
"Nothing to say," she muttered.
"I don't believe that for one second. Work or John?" he asked. Jaime didn't say anything, she just looked at him. "You're my best friend and I know you well enough to know that you don't get upset about a lot of things. So, is the problem your work or your husband?"
"Are we really gonna do this?"
"Yes. You're miserable. If Hiri worrying about you wasn't bad enough, Spock is worried too."
"It's both," Jaime sighed. "It's work affecting my marriage and my marriage is making it hard to concentrate on work. I mean, a business rival trying to kill your husband is just… I'm so pissed off right now, Bones. And to make matters worse, John's mad."
"Not at you."
"Yes, at me," she sighed. "I didn't tell him what was going on. I know that's my own fault but… he's the one who hired bodyguards without talking to me about it. Don't get me wrong, I love Cupcake and Zahra's growing on me but being watched is being watched and I don't care whose eyes it is. I'm buried in all the information that Carol gave me plus all the actual work I have to do. I tried to take a break but that ended with my husband demanding we come home early and now I'm not getting laid either. All I want right now is a goddamn hug from my husband."
"Okay, Jim. Take a breath."
"I fuckin' hate this," Jaime said, she was on the verge of tears but she refused to cry in a restaurant full of people.
"What did your dad say?"
"He's busy protecting the country from spies and terrorists while trying to help the investigation into Marcus. The stuff Carol gave us is good but… it's circumstantial. If they arrest him, a good lawyer could get him off without much problem."
"Which means?"
"They need hard evidence or a confession from him. In the meantime, he's making my life hell," she sighed. The waiter came back with their food. Bones stared at Jaime until she started eating her fries.
"So, make his life hell right back."
"How do you propose I do that?" Jaime asked.
"Goddammit, you are Jim Kirk. Think of something, it's what you do. You guys are going to that gala thing, right?" Bones asked. The whole office was going to this excellence in business gala. Richard and Sara were actually going to be in town to attend with them.
"Yea."
"Take the opportunity that's presented to you. You have a voice and a platform, use them. You should talk to your husband too or you'll stay mad at each other."
She stared at him for a long moment, "You have been friends with me for way too long."
Bones smiled, "Na… we got a couple decades in us."
"Hi."
"Hi," John looked up from his tablet.
"You have dinner?"
"Yes. You?"
"Big lunch. Bones threatened to give me a feeding tube if I didn't eat. You know how he can be."
"He's just looking out for you. Something I am incapable of doing," her husband sighed.
"Is that what you think?"
"All of this is because me and I pulled you and your friends into it."
"They're your friends too."
"Because of you," he mumbled.
"No. They met you because of me but they're friends with you because of you," Jaime dropped onto the couch next to him. "It's not like they were friends with Gary. They hated him…" A crazy thought just popped into her head.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just… I think I might have an idea about who gave Marcus information about me. I need to call my dad," she said as she hopped up to grab her phone. She got two steps away from him before she turned around, clambered onto her husband's lap and held his face in her hands. "This is not your fault any more than it's my fault. We are both very good at blaming ourselves for things that happen to us but…" she pressed her forehead against his. "If we fall apart, Marcus wins."
"He's already tried to kill you once," John said, his grip on her hip tightened as he pulled her impossibly closer. "I don't know what I'd do…"
"We not gonna think like that. We will end this. You and me… we will stop him. Together."
"Together."
"Well, look at who it is," Gary said when Jaime walked into his garage. Her dad tracked him down to his father's house in Palo Alto. Gary got into some trouble and was administratively discharged from the Air Force, she had no idea.
"You don't seem too surprised to see me," Jaime said as she leaned against Old Man Mitchell's beat up 1972 Dodge Dart.
"Should I be? I mean, I figured you find out that I was back in the area eventually. AdSep and divorced. Not really my proudest moment. Though, I honestly expected to see you sooner," he smiled as he stood to his full height and wiped his hands. "Your dad can come in if he wants."
"He hates you and he's armed," Jaime stated plainly. She got to trade her bodyguard for two FBI agents today. Her dad stayed in the SUV and Bashir sat on a stool right inside the garage door.
"Good point. He can stay out there," the tall blonde chuckled. "You cut your hair. It looks good."
"Thanks," she said. Jaime looked him the eyes and relief washed over her. Before she came in to see him, Jaime was worried that she'd go stupid around Gary like she always did but he didn't even phase her. Her ex held her gaze for a moment before Jaime's eyes scanned the room. New tools and original parts for the old car littered the floor. "I didn't know the Air Force paid out a ton of cash when they kicked someone out."
"Really? You mean you don't know that your boss helped me out?" he asked as he handed her a beer.
Jaime took the offered drink, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I was in a bind then this guy showed up, said he was your boss and needed some information on you. I gave him bits and pieces but nothing major," Gary told her. Jaime pulled up a picture of Marcus on her phone and showed him. "Yea, that's the guy."
"He's not my boss," Jaime sighed. "Only person who could even be my boss is in the UK."
"What?" he looked at her. "That guy said you were doing some engineering work but it was secret so he needed to get some background."
"I run U.S. operations for my father-in-law's shipping company. I even own part of it. If Richard wanted information on me, he'd ask."
"You got married?"
"Six months ago," she told him.
"Is he nice?" Gary asked.
"John. He's wonderful," Jaime said with a smile.
"You're so in love with him. It's written all over your face," he sighed. "Good. You uh… you deserve to be happy. Me and you… we were a bomb waiting to go off. If I hadn't left when I did, we'd both be regretting it now."
"Probably."
"I am sorry for the way I ended it. That was a dick move," Gary told her.
"It was and I can admit to being pissed off about it at the time but it's okay. I moved on to bigger and better… no offense," she smiled. Jaime was so beyond over it that it didn't even matter anymore.
"None taken," he smiled. "So, who was the old guy that I talked to?"
"His name is Alexander Marcus and he's a bad, bad man. Note the federal agent babysitter," Jaime said, gesturing to Bashir before she told Gary what was going on.
"So, let me see if I got this. Marcus has a problem with your father-in-law. Instead of working it out with him, this guy is after your husband… and you. Now, his own daughter is in his cross-hairs too. All the while, he's running the company his uncle left him to the ground."
"Sums it up."
"What are you gonna do?" he asked.
"Working on something," she told him.
"Do you need any help from me?"
"Now that I know you aren't actually in cahoots with him, just let me know if he reaches out to you again. He's getting desperate and I'm a pain in his ass," Jaime smiled.
"You're good at that," Gary chuckled.
"What? Coming up with stuff or being a pain in the ass."
"Both."
