(The Verdict in the Story)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth knew that this was probably going to be a long week or two. He had no idea how long the trial would last, but the charge against Max was capital murder and that meant that the judge wouldn't rush it. Both the defense attorney and the prosecutor would be given sufficient time to present their sides of the case. With Booth and Brennan forbidden to participate in the prosecution, all they could do was sit in the courtroom and watch the proceedings. So far, David Barron was keeping his line of defense a closely held secret except for a few. The lawyer had talked to Brennan, Russ and Max about what he planned to present during the trial, but Booth hadn't been invited to those meetings. The agent was sure that Barron didn't trust him and he was fine with that. That meant the lawyer had Max's interests as a priority and that was all they could ask of him.

He could sense that Brennan was nervous, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it. During the trial both Booth and Brennan were not going to be allowed to participate in any new cases that might come up. Booth had been told he could work on the Gormogon and the Gravedigger cases, but Brennan was suspended from all cases including those two cases until the trial was over. Of course, Brennan had been outraged and protested the temporary ban, but Caroline Julian didn't care and told Brennan that she would have to accept the ban because the ban had come from the Attorney General and no one was going to override his decision.

"I can be objective." Brennan sat in the SUV and fumed while Booth drove them to court. "My working on cases should have nothing to do with Max's case."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth drove up the ramp to the parking garage. "It was the decision of The Attorney General of the United States, Bones. No one is going to get him to change his mind . . . Look I know you'd be objective, but we can't do anything about it. I can't work on new cases either." He spotted a free parking space and took it. "It's just two or three weeks." His truck now parked, Booth pulled the key from the ignition and pocketed the key. "Besides, I think we should be here for the trial and not working on cases. You know I'm right."

"I do, it's just galling telling me that I can't be objective about other cases because my . . . because Max is on trial."

"Yeah, but I guess they don't trust me either. Just do what I'm doing and think of it as a weird kind of vacation. Not a fun vacation, but a vacation . . . Okay?" Booth slid out of the truck and walked around to the back of the SUV to wait for Brennan. "Maybe not a vacation, but a paid timeout."

She knew what he meant even if he seemed to be unsure himself. "They are paying us to attend the trial or stay home, I understand." Brennan took Booth's hand and walked with him to the elevator. "I knew this was coming and I still don't think I'm prepared."

Oooooooooooooooooo

The case against Max was overwhelming against him. The preponderance of evidence was guaranteed to sway the jury against Max and David Barron was trying to find a way to spoil that evidence. Clark Edison had examined the remains of Robert Kirby and surprisingly he had found that Dr. Zach Addy had made a serious mistake. The murder weapon that had been presented to the jury was not the actual the murder weapon. The weapon used to kill Kirby had a hilt and the one presented to the jury did not. Irritated, the Judge gave FBI Special Agents Charlie Burns and Morris Harris the rest of the day to find the murder weapon or the trial would be over. Judge Marcus Haddoes did not appreciate sloppiness and to have put a man on trial and claim to have the murder weapon when the prosecutor didn't, meant that the court had been made to look foolish. Haddoes didn't appreciate that and Caroline Julian knew that.

Once the trial was recessed, Booth and Brennan went home to await the arrival of Burns and Harris. Since Kirby had been killed in their home, Brennan assumed that the weapon was there.

"Why Bones? Wouldn't Max have taken it with him?" Booth opened the front door and entered the house behind Brennan. "It would have been the smart thing to do."

Once she was in the living room, Brennan looked around at the various pieces of art and antiquities she owned and she knew that it was possible the weapon was in that room. "I don't know if Max expected Kirby to be in this house or not when he arrived. It is certain he confronted Kirby in the living room since that was where we found the pool of blood. I have several weapons in my collection that would have been available for Max to use." She strode over to her shelves and searched her collection making sure not to touch anything. Turning to face Booth, she pointed at the misericorde. "This is probably what he used. It's a medieval copper dagger used for delivering a final fatal blow, also known as the 'coup de grace'.

"That looks about like Max's style." Booth sighed, left the room, retrieved two bottles of beer from the fridge and returned to the living room where he gave one of the bottles to Brennan. "Harris and Charlie will probably bring Zach to look over your stuff. If that isn't the murder weapon then there is no way they'll find the real weapon before the judge's deadline."

Taking the bottle, Brennan twisted off the top and took a sip of the cold beer. "What should we do while we wait?"

An afternoon game on, Booth walked over to the couch, sat down and turned on the TV. "We can watch some of the game until they show up . . . or we can watch something on the Discovery Channel."

Tired and feeling miserable, Brennan sat next to Booth, leaned back and closed her eyes. "You can watch the game."

It wasn't long before a knock on the front door drew their attention. Placing his empty bottle down on the coffee table, Booth let the two agents and Zach into his house. "I suppose you have a warrant."

A slight smile on his face, Harris handed Booth the folded sheet of paper. "You know I'm not going to screw that up." Standing next to Booth, they watched Charlie and Zach start to examine the contents of the living room. "We all know that if it's not here there's no way we'll find it, not today."

Watching Zach study Brennan's collectibles, Booth knew that the squint would find it. "Yeah."

"I found it." With his hands covered in latex gloves, Zach picked up the dagger and held it up for all to see. "I believe this is the murder weapon."

Sad for both Brennan and Booth, Harris patted Booth on his shoulder. "Sorry man."

Once the agents and Zach were gone with the weapon in their possession, Booth returned to the couch and sat down. "Do you want to go back to court this afternoon? David will continue his defense, but it won't be finished for a few days."

"I think I should be there." Once she was standing, Brennan walked over to where they'd had to strip the wooden floor to get rid of the big blood stain the previous year. "He's guilty, Booth. Max is going to be found guilty."

Sympathetic, Booth moved over to where his lover was standing, pulled her into his embrace and let her weep for a few minutes. Once she was calmer, he pulled away, walked over to the coffee table, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. "Don't give up, Bones. David found something to put a monkey wrench into Caroline's case. He might do it again."

Oooooooooooooooo

It was hopeless and Brennan knew it. David was going to lose his case and Max was going to be found guilty. She now had a decision to make. She didn't want to make a decision that would affect Booth's life as well as hers, but she knew she couldn't tell him what she planned to do. Booth was in a relationship with her and he would do everything he could to stop her from risking her freedom for the freedom of her father. She knew he loved her and he wouldn't want to risk losing her even if it saved Max's life.

It was a strange situation for her. Brennan loved her father and hated him at the same time. He had caused her a lot of pain both physically and mentally when her parents had abandoned her and she had almost died at the hands of her foster parents, but he was her father and she still felt some loyalty to him. She didn't know why and she couldn't explain it to herself let alone anyone else. The worst part about this was it made her feel like she wasn't in control of herself. It was confusing and unnerving and yet she knew she would just have to accept that there were certain things that she would never understand. Maybe once this was over, she might get Booth to help her understand, but for now, she had to do this thing without Booth. She just dreaded what his reaction would be.

Oooooooooooooooo

Unable to believe what he was hearing Booth sat in court and listened as David Barron began to build a case against Brennan the next day. As the trial progressed, he pointed out that Brennan has been at the scene of the murder of Robert Kirby, at the seminary and the rooftop where Robert Kirby's body had been burned. To Booth's horror, Sweets sat in front of the jury and said that Brennan was hyper-rational and was capable of rationalizing almost anything including murder. Booth found it unbelievable that anyone could think Brennan was capable of murder. She valued life and could never murder anyone. Much to his relief, Caroline called him up to the stand to refute David's efforts to place the blame of the murder onto Brennan's shoulders.

"She was with me all day." He stared at Brennan and shook his head. "The day Kirby was killed she was with me."

But David Barron had questions of his own. "How did your son Parker get home from school that day?"

Shocked, Booth focused on Brennan and tried to remain calm. "We talked on the phone. We were only apart for an hour."

"So, plenty of time, wasn't it Agent Booth?" It made David ill knowing he was using Booth to get what he wanted, but it was what Brennan wanted and his client deserved a chance. "Plenty of time for Dr. Brennan to kill Kirby then hide the body from you until she could find a time to take his body somewhere, burn it and return home . . . She returned to the Lab that evening for a few hours while you worked at the Hoover for a few of hours on a kidnapping case, didn't you? She could have moved Kirby's body then."

His heart racing in his chest, Booth couldn't take his eyes from Brennan's face. He knew what she was trying to do and he was afraid she was going to succeed, but then what? Would she be placed on trial for Kirby's murder and be found guilty? Would he lose her after Max was set free?

Impatient, Judge Haddoes finally spoke up. "The witness will answer the question."

His voice rough from emotion, Booth spoke to Brennan instead of David. "That's a lot of heart, Bones."

"Answer the question Agent Booth."

Desperate, Booth tried to persuade the jury that Max's lawyer was wrong. "Could Bones have killed Kirby? Temperance Brennan is my partner and I've known her for a long time. I've faced down death with her . . . Sweets, he's brilliant, but he's wrong. She could have not done this. She values life. She has dedicated her career to identifying bodies in war torn countries. She's . . . "

"I didn't ask for your opinion about Dr. Brennan's character." David knew that Booth was trying to protect his partner and he had to stop it. "I asked you did she have time?"

He had no choice but to answer the question. "Yes. She had time." He left the stand knowing he might have sealed Brennan's fate. He couldn't protect her from trying to protect her father. Unable to stay, he left the courtroom behind and drove home. He knew that Brennan could get a ride home from Cam, so he wasn't worried about her at the moment.

Once he was home, he changed his clothes, walked out into the back yard with a bottle of Scotch and a glass and sat down on one of the lawn chairs. He was afraid and he wasn't used to being afraid. He knew that the jury could accept what David Barron was selling and set Max free. Knowing Caroline Julian, Booth knew she would be angry and might go after Brennan. Someone had to pay for Kirby's death and he was afraid it would be Brennan. If she was tried and convicted, he might have to stand by and watch her being executed. Could he live with that? He didn't know. Brennan was afraid that she didn't have a big heart, that she wasn't kind, but Booth knew that she was. He had told her many times that she was the kindest person he knew, but she didn't believe him. If anyone needed proof of just how big-hearted she was then this trial proved it.

He drank a few shots of whiskey but wasn't sure how drunk he wanted to get. Staring at the Cherry trees he had planted for Brennan, he wondered if she would live to see them mature.

"Booth?"

He'd heard the back door open and close, but he didn't respond.

"Booth? I need to talk to you." Brennan moved around her mate until she was facing him. Staring at the bleak look on his face, Brennan almost wept. He loved her so much and she had forced him to testify against her. She was afraid that she had crossed a line that Booth would never accept or forgive. Did he hate her? Would he leave her? She didn't know. "I had to do what I did, Booth. The jury could see that the evidence was overwhelmingly against Max. We needed to give them reason to doubt that evidence . . . He's my father, Booth. I had to do something."

Afraid to speak, Booth picked up the bottle of Scotch, stood up and walked past her back into the house. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know what to do. He was powerless and he hated feeling like that. Once inside, he placed the Scotch on the counter in the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. As he drank the water down, Brennan walked into the room, stood near the door and stared at him, not saying anything, not moving.

Once he was done, Booth leaned back on the counter and faced his partner. "What happened in court after I left?"

"David closed the case and it was presented to the jury. They returned a verdict in an hour. Max was found not guilty."

"And now what?" His heart beating hard in his chest, Booth shook his head. "Are you going to be tried next? Did Caroline say anything to you?"

Slowly shaking her head, Brennan didn't have an answer for him. "She didn't say anything."

Taking his phone out of his pant's pocket, Booth made a call. "It's Booth. Are you going after Bones for Kirby's death? . . . I see . . . Thanks Caroline." The call ended Booth placed the phone on the counter. "The case is closed. She knows Max did it and she's not going to take you to trial for something that you didn't do."

Relieved, Brennan nodded her head. "Good . . . Booth . . ."

Before she could say anything, Booth moved across the room and engulfed her in his embrace. "Do not do that ever again. You had no right to risk your life for Max. He murdered two men that we know of and had another man executed in prison, he had no right to expect anything but a guilty verdict. I love you Bones and if this had backfired . . ." He couldn't continue. Holding Brennan against his body, he knew he was holding her too tightly and she had to be uncomfortable, but he couldn't let her go. He just couldn't let her go.

"Booth." She spoke softly, but firmly. "I should have told you what I was going to do, but I knew that you would try to stop me. He's my father, Booth. Max is my father and I couldn't let him be found guilty, not if I could stop it. I knew that I could sow doubt with the jury . . . I won't do it again. I've already told Max that if he ever breaks the law again, I will not lift a finger to help him . . . Booth, I apologize for scaring you. I know I did and I'm sorry."

Able to finally let her go, he stood back, his hands still on her arms. "I can stand anything Bones, I can stand anything, but losing you. I love you too much and I can't lose you."

"Yes, I know." And she did know. She had never felt love like the love Booth showed her. He showed her in many different ways how much he loved her and this was probably the most important moment in her life. "I crossed a line . . . Are you going to leave me?"

"Leave you?" Shocked, Booth stared at Brennan for a few seconds, pulled her closer and kissed her. Their kiss was intense and both knew that they needed each other. Leaving would never be an option for either of them. "Never Bones. Never." He kissed her again and felt the fear melt from him. Brennan was home, safe in his arms and she wasn't going to pay for her stunt in court. "I can't leave you and you can't leave me. We're in this together, always together."

She felt her heart racing and she knew that Booth was right. "Always together, Booth. I love you."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

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