A/N
Hello and welcome! This is quite a short chapter, but I felt it was necessary to interject it at this juncture, to provide that different view point. You'll see what I mean….
THANK YOU as always, for your kind reviews and encouragement!
AND – nothing has changed… I don't own Bones nor its characters… except for most of the ones in this chapter…
Approximately 13 months prior…
"So… does your mother know that you're out?" The woman took a slow drink from her beer can. "Or does she still think you died in that riot?"
William Baker looked at his cousin Rachel, "I sent word to 'er, through someone that I knew I could trust."
The older woman nodded silently, observing the young man she hadn't heard from in over a decade. There was no mistaking that he was her cousin's kid. They shared the same bone structure, the same shaped eyes and skin tone. "Did you tell 'er you were comin' here?"
William nodded as he stood to greet his second cousin's husband, "Hi George. Thanks for lettin' me crash, man."
The larger man slapped the ex-con on the shoulder, "that's what family does, Will." George indicated for William to re-take his seat, so the three could continue the talking. "Will, how did you manage to get out? I mean, that was a pretty high security location."
"I knew the riot was goin' down that day. There was talk on the block for days that the Angels of Destruction were, let's say, less than happy wit' the PR Punks and their stunts; the two gangs were out to teach each other a 'lesson' or two. I kept outta the controversy but used it to my advantage. I had enough o' dat shithole; enough o' da bastard guards; 'nuff o' everything…" he frowned with his forehead as he looked back and forth between George and Rachel. "I got my hands on some chemicals from da cleanin' crew…ya know, ya gotta keep your lines of communication open wit' all the people dat can benefit ya." He nodded as he took a swig of his own drink. "I threw together a little boomer to blow up during the riot. Somethin' to distract the guards enough to let me slip into the showers. There wuz a section behind stall four where the tiles was loose. Me an' another guy's been workin' on it for months, tryin' to wait for the perfect opportunity. The riot was a little premature, but I was determin'd to make it work; God knows when we'd get another shot." Will shook his head, "but Chuck, he was too far in with da Angels, so there was no way he wuz comin' along, so I did it on my own." He reached forward to the coffee table and grabbed a handful of potato chips from the bowl.
"So, you blew someone up then escaped?" George raised his eyebrow in the younger man's direction.
"nuh-uh. I blew up my cell." He grinned proudly, "but I wasn't in it at da time, tho."
Rachel laughed, "well, boy, I would hope not. Is your Mom comin' here?" She found she was anxious to see the childhood friend, who just happened to have been her cousin, and whom she hadn't seen face to face in nearly 20 years.
"Haven't heard, Rachel. I hope so. But I know it's far for her to travel on her own."
She pulled herself from her chair, "Well, I don't dare risk drawing attention by calling her, but I'll make some arrangements to contact 'er and find out when she'll be here. I'd be s'prised if she don't come, now that you're here." Rachel shuffled out to the kitchen to organize dinner, rolling ideas around her head about how to get Will's mom out to their neck of the woods.
George and Will remained in the living room. George turned to their guest, "so, what's your plan, kid?"
Will was hardly a 'kid' at the age of 40, but given the age difference between him and George, he was. "Well…don't know 'xactly." Will hesitated a bit, not sure how much of his plan she wanted to reveal. But then he realized that if George wasn't going to support him, he would at least not hinder him, in his quest. "Something 'dat I've been thinkin' 'bout for years, now…I wanna get the FBI agent who locked me up…A fuckin' rookie put me away, and I want 'im to pay. I hear he's got a kid; ya know, people talk on the block, and there's quite a few in the lock-up who'd been put there by the same guy. Anyway, I figure if I go after his kid, that'd be my plan – to get him back for the years I've lost."
George nodded in understanding. He himself had spent several years in prison and actually got out on a 'technicality' that had worked in his favor. Despite the fact that he belonged behind bars, and he knew it, he still took that opportunity and fought the system, falsely winning his freedom in the process. "You know where to find 'im? The Agent?"
"Yeah, he's still in DC. Got my feelers out, keepin' an eye on 'im. Tracking him so I can strike as soon as I've finished my plan. Then I'll fade away, take myself way outta the mainstream, fall off the map." Will was confident in his plan, that he'd be successful in kidnapping the Agent's kid, mentally torturing the cocky SOB who locked him up.
"Yeah…that might work. Is the Agent any good? I mean, I know he got you, but was it a fluke?"
"I dunno. I guess he's just like any other pig. But he's got a weakness in his kid; and I know about it, so I'm gunna use it."
"What's his name?"
"Booth. Seeley Booth." Will snorted, "What the hell kinda name is 'Seeley', anyway?" Will looked at George, expecting some camaraderie in his insults towards the Agent; instead George was staring at him, his mouth agape.
"Seeley Booth? From DC, you say?"
"Uh-huh. Why? You got some connections that might help?"
George didn't answer, but called out to his wife, "Rachel!? C'mere a minute."
When she re-entered the tiny living room, her husband looked at her quizzically. "Do you remember the name of that agent who was involved with catching Julie Coyle? 'Member, at the class reunion up by Becca-chelle?"
"yeah, ummm….Brandon or Blandon… Something like that?"
"No, that was the woman, Brennan; I'm talkin' about the guy."
Rachel shook her head. "Ahh, I remember him; 'member that he was a pretty good lookin' guy; shame he's a cop; but can't remember his name. Why?"
George was certain he was right. "Does the name Seeley Booth sound familiar?"
"Uh…yeah! That was his name; I recall that his first name sounded more like a last name."
Rachel grabbed the telephone from the end table and dialed a number that she knew by heart, even though she hadn't dialed it in several years.
On the second ring, it was answered. "Officer Conway speaking"
"Becca-chelle…hi there." Rachel smiled as she heard her niece's professional voice.
"Aunt Rachel…You're the only person who still calls me that. I go by Becky now." Rebecca Michelle Conway sat back on her couch, smiling into her receiver. "I haven't heard from you in a while, what's up?"
Rachel cleared her voice, "well, Becca-chelle, first of all, I happen to like your old nick-name. It's a nice combination of your first and middle names. Your mother always called you that, and I will continue to also!" She laughed in good humor and was met with a happy chuckle from her niece. "But there is a reason I'm calling. Do you have some time to come over this evening? For dinner?" She waited only a few seconds before Becky replied to the affirmative.
"Sure Aunt Rachel. Is everything alright? Is Uncle George OK?"
"Yeah, we're both fine, Bec. Can you be here around 6:00?"
"I'll see you then. Need me to bring anything?"
"No, dear. Just yourself. And your excellent memory…we wanna take a trip down memory lane for a little while. My cousin is here visiting, and we'd like you two to meet. You have a lot in common."
"Auntie, you're not trying to set me up, are you? I don't need a blind date."
"No, no… nothing like that, don't worry. Just come over and we'll eat a good meal and some interesting conversation…"
They disconnected their call and Rachel smiled at her husband then at Will. "Now, Will, my niece is a cop, but don't panic." She saw the immediate worry in his eyes. "She's our contact on the inside… Becky, as she prefers to be called, knows who her family is and sticks by her blood."
"So, what's the plan, then? What's the benefit of her coming over?" Will wondered what his mom's cousin had in mind.
"Well, you said you want to get that Agent back; you want revenge; she can help." Rachel looked to her husband and nodded, seeing that he also agreed with her decision to call Becky. "She knows people…she has ways." She looked back to Will with a knowing grin, "it's a perk that we enjoy, having someone like her both on our side as well as on the inside."
Will spent the day getting reacquainted with his distant family, with whom he'd be spending an undetermined amount of time. He found them to be accommodating and eager to help, when it came to his desire to exact revenge on one Special Agent Seeley Booth.
Becky arrived shortly before 6:00, a case of beer in one hand and a bouquet of flowers for her Aunt in her other. "Aunt Rachel, Uncle George! Long time no see…" she hugged them each in turn then faced the unknown in the room, extending her hand in greeting. "Hello, I'm Becky Conway. Rachel's niece."
Will shook her hand tentatively, still uncertain at her presence, being she was a cop. "Yeah, hi. I'm Will Baker. My mom's Rachel's cousin, so I guess 'dat makes me 'er cousin, too."
"Good to meet you, Will." Becky spoke as she moved out towards the kitchen, from where delicious smells were wafting and infiltrating the remainder of the home. "So, Aunt Rachel," she began as she started to set the table, "what was so important that you needed me to come over so suddenly?"
"Well, Becca-chelle, it's about Will. Um, well, you see, he just broke out… you know... And we…ahhh…we're gunna need your help…"
Becky stilled her features as she listened to the words coming from her aunt. She struggled internally with her professional position versus her family loyalty. But for as far back as she could remember her mom and dad had instilled in her that family came first. 'Family before all else' is what they used to tell her. And as much as she knew that went against everything she'd been trained in, against all that she'd promised to uphold in her career, family blood always ran deeper. She nodded slowly, looking to her uncle and newly introduced 'family member' as they entered the small kitchen.
"Alright, well, what is it that you need from me?"
Will smiled as he took his seat. "Does the name Seeley Booth ring a bell to you, Becky?" He flashed a knowing grin when he saw the look on her face; he could tell she instantly knew the name of the Agent.
"Well, yeah, I know Agent Booth; I met him a few years back at the class reunion, when Julie Coyle killed one of our classmates. He's Temperance Brennan's partner. Why?"
"Something very interesting about this Agent Booth," George started, "he locked up Julie Coyle, and Julie is a relative of Will, here." George paused to take a swig of beer.
Becky nodded slowly as she scooped up some of her Aunt's spaghetti.
George continued, "and… he is also the Agent responsible for locking up Will, just about a decade ago."
Becky raised an eyebrow, "So, it sounds like Booth has been quite an enigma to your family, Will."
Rachel cleared her voice, "and a problem to Will's family is a problem to our family, Becca-chelle. And Will is quite intent on getting his revenge on the good Agent…"
Becky lowered her fork, and looked at each of her family in turn. "Well, what are you all thinking? What exactly do you need from me?"
"Well, girl," George spoke, "we were thinking perhaps you would have some insight, some capabilities within your chosen profession, that could aid Will in his quest. Ya' know, the fact that this same man locked up two of, essentially, our own…then that man should have to pay some retribution for his actions."
Becky sat back in her seat thoughtfully, already turning over in her mind, the possibilities of the ways in which she could assist. "What kind of revenge are you looking to inflict, Will?"
"I wanna make 'em suffer. I heard he's got a kid, wuz thinkin' 'bout taking him; making Booth squirm a bit, then off the kid. But I haven't worked out the when or where or nothin' yet, I just know I want to make him sorry. He was nothin' but a fuckin' rookie when he stumbled onto me. Hell, they wasn't even lookin' for me when they found me; they was lookin' for some drug runner. I've been in that hell-hole for 10 goddamn years and now I want to make him pay." He took a long swig of his beer. "And to hear that he put away 'nother one of my kin…I don't know this Julie-chic, but hell, if she's blood, she's blood. An' blood's thicker'n water."
Becky's eyes darkened. "You know, the idea of getting his kid is one thing…he talked about his kid when he was here – sounds adorable, as far as little snot-noses go… But you really wanna get good ole' Agent Booth back?" She leaned forward, resting her forearms onto the tiny table before adding her opinion. "Go after his partner, Temperance Brennan. I knew her in school – fuckin' creepy girl back then, even creepier now. Thinks she's all hot-shit 'cause she made herself famous when she got outta here. When they were here, he looked at her, watched her like she was a goddess. I tried to get him to go have a drink with me; you might have thought Brennan was a she-wolf protecting her alpha… And he let 'er! Even though they maintained they were merely partners, I have my doubts… and I'm telling you, if you want to really get Seeley Booth's attention, she's the one you need to go after. Then you wouldn't have to deal with a whiny kid either."
Will's evil grin spread across his face. "You, ahhh…You know how I can find out even more information about this Temperance Brennan?"
"Willie, Willie, Willie…" Becky smiled, "I am law enforcement; of course I know how to find out more about Temperance Brennan…"
Will smiled darkly. "How long 'til Julie gets out? I'd like to not only meet this distant relative o' mine, but I imagine she might want in on the retaliation action, don'tcha think?"
George looked to Becky, "yeah, any idea, Becca? Maybe you can find a 'technicality' for Julie to get out; much like you did for me, huh?"
Becky raised her drink to her lips, "I'll start looking into it tomorrow; but listen, you guys can't call me at work. Or at home. I'll get disposable cells for both myself and you, and bring it by day after tomorrow. We cannot be linked at all. Our family ties are not well known as it is, and we don't want to draw any attention. Give me a few days to work out the logistics and then I'll let you know what's gonna happen. In the meantime, I'll figure out a way to get more info on Morticia and her Lapdog, Booth."
"Morticia? You called her Morticia?"
"Yeah, she was always into dead shit; loved dissecting animals, always studied death… twisted, I'm telling you. And now she's the person people go to when they need to find out information on decomposedcorpses. 'Morticia' is a perfect name, very fitting."
The four clinked their glasses and beer cans as they finished their meal. They discussed preliminary plans for ways of inflicting vengeance; possible scenarios that would aid in Julie's early release; various approaches and tactics that may or may not pan out…They tossed around ideas for causing pain in the same mannerisms that Booth and Brennan tossed around ways of solving crimes.
And the visit went on late into the night before Becky bid her goodbyes to the nefarious half of her family. As she drove back to Burtonsville, she mentally reviewed possible schemes and calculated how long it may take to pull off such a stunt. She decided, regardless of length of time, the deed would be worth it. She really liked the way the handsome Agent looked, but he hadn't given her the time of day when they were in town. Cocky bastard. And, she'd never liked Temperance; hated how Temperance acted when she was there for the reunion; hated that she actually had achieved fame by getting the hell outta Burtonsville. Yeah, Becky was jealous, but in the end, she would get the famous author back for always acting so smarter than and better than everyone. The foster kid who got what she deserved when she stayed with abusive families was going to get what she deserved as an adult; Miss-High-and-Mighty would be knocked down a peg or two. And Becky's family would be the ones knocking her down. An malevolent smile adorned her scarred face as she drove into the night.
Postscript A/N
OK, so there you have it! I wanted to give an insight on the criminal side of the story, but I couldn't do that until I revealed that they were all related in the last chapter… Sorry it's so short, but I didn't want to dwell on it; I just wanted to share a bit. I hope you liked it! And I hope you hate them as much as I do!
Please read and review and let me know your thoughts on this mini-chap!
THANK YOU!
