(Before "The Future in the Past")

I had a few requests to do a sequel for chapter 52.

I don't own Bones.

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The house was quiet and it bothered Booth more than he cared to admit. Brennan and their baby had disappeared from his life and it worried him sick that they were out there, somewhere on their own with little or no protection. He was sure Max was trying to help Brennan, but the conman wasn't young anymore and might not be up to the task. He knew his partner was strong and could take of herself, but she was a wanted fugitive burdened with a child and that made her a target of every law enforcement agency in the country.

A knock on the door shattered the silence in the room. Curious, Booth walked over to the front door and opened it. "Daisy, what are you doing here?"

Holding a box in her hands, Daisy smiled at the agent even though the dark smudges under his eyes worried her. Clearly the man was tired. "I made lasagna and I over did it. I made so much, I realized I could feed an army, so I brought you some."

The aroma coming from the box made Booth aware that he hadn't eaten since he'd woke up hours earlier and all he'd eaten then was a piece of toast. "Well, if you made too much, then I'll be happy to help you eat it."

"Thank you." Stepping past Booth, Daisy noticed the living room was neat and clean which meant the Agent hadn't given up yet. "Would you like me to carry this to the kitchen?"

Embarrassed, Booth took the box from Daisy. "No, I can do it. Why don't you come into the kitchen with me? I can offer you beer or wine or a Coke and maybe some lasagna if you're hungry."

Though she had eaten an hour earlier, Daisy felt obligated to be the company her friend needed. "Thanks so much. A beer would be great and just a small piece of lasagna. To tell you the truth, I've eaten so much lasagna since yesterday, I'm starting to get a little sick of it. If you have some bread and cheese, I can make a sandwich instead while you eat some lasagna. Really, you're rescuing me from my over exuberant cooking practices."

Once they were in the kitchen, Booth grabbed a loaf of bread and a few packages of cheeses from the fridge and put them on the counter. "I have mayo and mustard if you want it."

After she grabbed the mayo from the fridge, Daisy made a cheddar sandwich while Booth pulled a plate from the cupboard, served up a large slice of lasagna and placed it on the kitchen table with a bottle of beer and a fork. "This looks amazing."

Her cheeks a dusty rose color, Daisy felt embarrassed and wasn't sure why. Probably because Booth didn't often compliment her about anything. She knew she was a constant source of irritation to the agent and a few others at the Lab, but she couldn't change who she was. "Thank you." Sitting at the table, she took a bite from her sandwich and opened her bottle of beer. "I used real ricotta not cottage cheese. I will never understand using cottage cheese in lasagna. It's just wrong."

Agreeing with her, Booth took a bite of his food. "Hey, this is good, probably as good as my grandfather's."

"Thank you. This is my mother's recipe. The recipe will feed an army, but I don't really know how to cut down the measurements and still get the lasagna to taste the way she made it. Believe me I've tried." Daisy saw the Agent swiftly make his portion of the pasta disappear and knew she'd made the right decision to make the lasagna for him. Someone needed to make sure Booth was eating. Dr. Brennan would appreciate it even if she wasn't here. "I hope you're doing okay . . . I mean . . . well, I hope you're sleeping. I know Dr. Brennan wouldn't appreciate you making yourself sick." Placing her hand over her mouth, she shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Daisy words had been an attempt at kindness and Booth appreciated it. "No, don't apologize. You're right, Bones would be angry if she knew I wasn't sleeping. I get about five or six hours a night . . . not a lot, but when Bones comes back, I'll go back to my usual eight."

Slowly nodding her head, Daisy knew that Booth must be lonely if he was talking to her about his private business. "Well, have more lasagna. God knows there's enough to last you for days."

Placing his fork on his plate, Booth took a sip of his beer, placed the bottle down on the table and decided he liked Daisy's company, as long as it was for a little while. "I never told Bones that you mailed her letters to me from Maluku. We both know, she'd have blown her top if she'd found out."

"Thank you. Yes, you're right about that. It was . . . It was a complete invasion of her privacy and it was unethical, but she was so unhappy . . . It broke my heart how unhappy she was in Maluku. Most of the time, she seemed alright, but I shared a tent with her and . . . at night she had time to think and I know her thoughts were sad. I know they were and I needed to help her. She's my mentor and well, she's done a lot for me." Staring at Booth, Daisy hoped she was clear about why she had done what she had done. "I didn't . . . I . . ."

Booth reached across the table and patted Daisy's hand. After he withdrew his hand, he took another sip of beer, trying to think about the right thing to say. "No, I get it. I really do. Bones was unhappy, you thought you knew why and you mailed me the letters . . . you were right. I read the letters and she missed what we used to have. She was afraid her friendship with me was dead. If she'd mailed the letters to me, I'd have written back and told her that she was wrong . . . I did write her, but she never wrote me back and . . . and I had almost given up on us . . . Those letters made me see that I had a chance with Bones if I'd just giver her time. Those letters gave me hope which was all I needed . . . Thanks, Daisy. You took a big risk mailing me those letters and I knew it. I won't ever betray what you did to Bones. This is just between you and me."

Relieved, Daisy felt a sense of calm flood through her body. She hadn't known she'd needed to hear Booth tell her that their secret was still a secret, but his words were like a healing balm. "Thank you. I did what I did and I'd never deny I did it, but still, thank you for not telling Dr. Brennan. She might not see the logic in why I did what I did. It was a purely logical decision, but you know . . ."

Amused, Booth smiled, something he rarely did lately. "Oh, yes, it was very logical. I could see that."

Not sure if she was being made fun of Daisy studied Booth's face and decided he might be sincere. "Well, anyway, when Dr. Brennan comes back everything will be normal again. You can count of it."

Hopeful, Booth nodded his head. "I hope you're right, but I think stuff will change at least a little between me and Bones and we'll have to deal with it. I mean, she's been on her own for months . . . anyway, we'll work it out. We just have to prove she didn't murder anyone first."

"Dr. Hodgins and Angela haven't given up. They're still trying to prove that video at the hospital is doctored, well Angela is. She'll do it too. We just have to give her time." Daisy had spoken to Hodgins the day before and he seemed to think Angela was on to something, but he didn't know what it was. He didn't want to give anyone false hope.

"Yeah, I know." Booth stared at his empty plate and suddenly felt a little nauseous. Picking up the plate, he carried it over to the dishwasher and placed it inside with the fork he had used. "I need to help her . . . Bones and Christine, but I'm where I need to be right now. We just need a break . . . any break."

Daisy knew that Booth needed her to leave. He was upset and he didn't want to be that way in front of her. Standing, she threw her napkin away with the half eaten sandwich and smiled at Booth. "Well, I need to go home. I hope you enjoy the lasagna."

"Thanks for bringing it Daisy." Booth followed her to the front door. "You're a good friend to me and Bones. I know that even if you don't realize it."

Delighted that Booth considered her a friend, Daisy smiled. "Oh, I know Agent Booth. It takes a while, but I grow on everyone once they know me."

Once he was alone, Booth walked over to the bookcase and removed the photo album. Carrying it over to the coffee table, he placed the book there, sat down and flipped the album open. It was all he had of his Bones and his daughter for the moment, but he knew that would change soon. It had to.

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