Everyone had been amazed with the number of favours Dr. Brennan had called in. One might have thought that she was done. Nothing is further from the truth. Booth had broken down walls that this cruel world had built up for her. And the least she could do was repay it. Today was going to be a date on which they feted him, The one who never gave up on her. Booth died so that she and her family could live. Damn the FBI. They never gave his due; the FBI was like the women Booth had looked towards before breaking down her walls. They were the alpha types, lawyers, more lawyers, and more media types, but they never gave what Booth wanted, a real family. She did, but She didn't even believe what Booth wanted was possible. She would mumble to herself. I think Booth is dreaming. Later, she would say, I thought, Booth was dreaming of a family, but he convinced me. I'm going to make it up to him. I'm going to make the record straight for all the heartbreak of his life. Seeley Booth would be a hero, as he is to me. The people who caused this pain will pay and pay to the last penny.
The master of ceremonies of the Cathedral of St. Matthew had contacted the Secretary of Defense, who informed the President would not attend. Still, members of the Cabinet would be present. Various tributes would be presented at both the burial site and during the service and the end. Temperance had the Cathedral decorated as if a Prince was going to be married. She commented to his Eminence. "He wanted a church wedding. But the church was a victim of arson. Now he gets what he wanted."
The archbishop retorted. "For a woman of no faith. It looks like you're coming close."
She smiled. "I have lived with Booth. I've experienced his faith. I believe there's a to and fro; I believe his faith is much more mature than when we first met; my children all go to Sunday Mass. I've read the Bible stories to them as children. I see the good that faith has done them, My children, Booth and well, myself."
With that said, she smiled, local TV coverage jumped in. As they had an opportunity. This was the husband of Dr. Temperance Brennan, who had died in a more appropriate manner for one of her books. Her agent Annie was her go-to person for all things media. Now was a moment of heart, guts, and a little bit of Dr. Sweets; the game was afoot.
The liturgy was now finished. His Eminence introduced Dr. Brennan to the Congregation. Over the years, she had helped the general public in the discoveries of murderers, especially one who had killed an ex-chancellor of the archdiocese. The Cardinal had known from friends of friends of Booth's secret charities, His work at St Kevin's parish; Along with that of his children, knowing all of that. "It was his pleasure to open the mother church of the diocese to one of her children, a hero going back to the Heavenly Father." Dr. Brennan took to the ambo as though she was addressing a conference in Oxford or Harvard, maybe Stanford, she was going to spread the pain. Her pain of loss. Her pain of separation. Her pain of seeing an honest man be humbled and thrown into jail. Knowing how helpless He was, knowing that they would target her herself and Christine next. To make him suffer even more. But The coup de grace was killing Dr. Lance Sweets - The kid brother Booth should have had, the one who understood under all his blusters, All the angry words, was indeed a good man, Sweets got it. And they took Sweets their baby duck, when he was murdered, nothing was done for him, except "a sorry Booth". The nightmares Booth endured, all the blaming of himself. It ends, ends today! The FBI will pay, and they pay today. Too much suffering. The public will know who died; Sealy Lance Sweets-Wick will know. He will be proud of his father and his godfather!
Her eulogy held the public enthralled. Her turns of phrase. Her anger, passion, tears, posture, and genuine suffering with something the world had never seen in academic circles. She was known as the ice queen. She would never be nervous. Never be stressed and tear down any obstacle that came her way in social circles. She was known as a bit of a cold fish, someone who didn't read things properly, and those who were genuinely jealous of her used to say that Booth was some type of caveman to keep people in line. The local TV stations had planned to broadcast most of the days' proceedings, And as Dr. Brennan was still on the New York Times bestsellers list, reporters kept being told that there would be some sort of bombshell during the event. Bones made sure that leaks were abounding. And to make those who needed to suffer needed to worry. Finally, sources told Fox, CNN, and all the rest that there would be trouble. The FBI did not want the send-off. They sent one middle-ranking official. a Nobody to attend the funeral. James Aubrey sat with the extended Booth family, but not as an Agent of FBI; the word was coming out from the White House that this situation would be trouble. In FBI circles, those nearest the top knew that there was going to be pain. Firstly, the book. If she relates the cases, she knew there would be hell to pay; her memory was the stuff of legends. She didn't need files. Brennan had called the director and was given nothing; She was looking for. No making Booth whole and nothing for Sweets,
Earlier in the day, Christine was called into the Office of the Director; she knew things were going to be interesting.
"Agent Booth. Your mother hasn't returned my call. I'm swamped, so I would prefer to keep this in-house. Your mother will not be writing any book about your late father; We will only send representation to the funeral. I think the right one would be you, Christine. She looked at the director with a question reminiscent of her own mother."
"So, you are going to permit me to go to my father's funeral, As an agent."
"That's it."
"You understand my mother called on you, you first. As my father lay dying. She called you. I see how this is going to go." She stood up, pulled off her service revolver and badge and dropped them on the desk. "I will not be played. I think you either forgot or you never knew; this week has been a very maturing process for me. I know where I have gone wrong. I will be making a press conference as an ex-member of the FBI in about 10 minutes. You have made a terrible mistake making enemies with my family. You have messed with the wrong family. "As you walked out of the office, flunkies tried to stop her. Calls from The director could be heard. He underestimated Christine; he forgot that she was a Booth after all.
Her message on the steps of the Hoover was simple. "I want justice for my father. All the director wants is his politics and payback." So, she resigned immediately so that she would have the freedom to go to her father's funeral. The Hoover was in complete crisis, the daughter of Booth wasn't going to be able to go to her own father's funeral. At the same time as the memo was written, forbidding anyone from going to the funeral, an avalanche of sick leave, memos poured onto their superior's desks. The White House called asking about the connection of the directive. They couldn't believe that the FBI could possibly have done such a thing. The Office suck-ups informed their bosses, and as they spoke, they could see CIA and NSA recruiters setting up their digs right outside of the Hoover. There was going to be pain.
Camille, standing in the crowd with the public, watching Christine speak. She whispered to an acquaintance beside her, "Amazing how she's changed; look at the confidence, the fire."
Christine outlined how honourable her father had always been and how the FBI never attempted to make him whole; how criminal elements within the FBI destroyed his home, tried and failed to kill him in the process had him locked in prison. And all they said in the years following was a "Sorry." And after everything, His daughter needed to resign, a Booth resigned so that she could attend the funeral with her family, there was absolute rage. In Dr. Brennan, but also rage in the pews in the church, watching on TV in his office in the Hoover, the director realized what others had said days before the Booth family were tigers. It all had backfired. Spread the pain.