The evening was raining and dark. Hannah Burley flagged the cab that carried her to The Sheraton- Washington, where she had already booked a standard room, something that she was used to. She needed to crack this case during her short flight from Chicago to Dulles. Hannah had been thinking about nothing else but this case of the killing of Booth; somebody killed Booth. She needed to find a way to get back in touch with Temperance Brennan. Remarkably, they had been friends. She, being a reporter, had figured out that Temperance had given her hand of friendship sincerely with no second thoughts, no second intentions, which was so different in their gender. So very rare. But over the years and her travelling, she would think, she would lament her decision to turn down Seeley Booth that day in That beautiful spot of Heaven, Washington, DC. In a sense, she was doing him a favour. It was true; she was acting out of her own fears. Her parents had been divorced, and she had been lock key child for many years during her childhood. She feared marriage, She feared the commitment that marriage would give. So, she fled it; she ran from it over those years, mainly after following the continued trajectory of Seeley Booth with Dr. Brennan. It was sweet. And it was salty. Charming in a sense, that she recognized that Temperance had become something that she wasn't when she knew her well. She had become fully human. She had blossomed. Seely had gotten what he always wanted a family, a stable family. A family home with trees in the backyard and maybe a few treehouses. His dream-long driveway with kids nagging him. He got exactly what he wanted. But a few years after the birth of Christine, when she reached out to Temperance, she felt that Temperance wasn't the same with her; in a sense, Tempe was angry with her, but you couldn't understand why until one day she called her up. And since she knew that Temperance liked things flat out and straightforward, she asked directly. "Why are you treating me like this? What have I done to you? I've never been rude nor cruel or mean." Temperance laughed and said, " it isn't so much That. is that you cause Booth pain, and I prefer to keep people away Who have done that to him." Hannah retorted, without thinking, "say you also caused him pain; please don't forget that Temperance. Dr. Brenan stuttered a touch, acknowledged it, and she added, " I probably caused him more pain than you ever did. But I feel uncomfortable about having a friendship with you; Please respect this. I mean, maybe at a different point in our collective lives; We can restart our friendship. And with that, they said goodbye and the phone ended. The call ended, and the relationship with that. Riding in the taxi, Hannah looked at the city that she had covered for so many years. She had made her money; she had written her books, her biography. Hannah had awards on her living room wall; she had her Pulitzer and other necessary awards. But she was alone, very alone. But what made it lonelier was that Booth was dead. And she suspected the worst type of foul play. And unfortunately, in this circumstance, Burley was on the outside looking into the inside. Upon arriving in a hotel, getting herself situated, she gathered her jackets and went for a walk to a restaurant that she was used to halfway to the restaurant where she frequently went when she was in Washington. She flagged the cab getting into the Back of the cab; she told the cabbie, " Are you familiar with the area near the Jeffersonian and the FBI headquarters? " The cabbie winked and said, "Yeah, I know the area; bring me to the Royal Diner." And he said, "Oh, yeah, sure. I always have somebody asking me to go there." So, he clicked his machine and sped off in that direction.

That evening, Christine and Hank were catching a late-night snack, as they called it. It was Their dad's favourite burger with fries. Hank ordered a veggie burger - just to be funny, saying that he was playing the part of mom as a squabbled over the mixed results of their work that day that week. Tonight, the Diner was pretty empty. Although it was a 24-hour establishment, It always had an influx of agents finishing their shifts coming in for something to eat. This was the old hunt of Brennan and Booth. The waitstaff recognized the younger Booths entering; one of the older waitresses smiled and said, "Are you going to sit in the royal Booth?" and everyone giggled a bit.

Hank smiled and said, "since my dad isn't around anymore, we have to keep the family tradition up." That killed the giggle immediately. As a sign of peace, an extended olive branch of sorts, The server quickly brought two pie slices over to the table. The waitress said quickly, "can you please accept the pie? It was your dad's favourite. We're sorry. We didn't mean to mention him." Christine looked up and said, "We want to rejoice and be happy about what our father did. But to highlight the mark he made on society even on the little things like this restaurant. The waitress was relieved that their generational clients weren't upset. The waitress said, " My daughter was reading your posts on #weareBooth. It said there, you're looking for testimonies about your parents. If you want funny stories from the Diner, we have tons.

I think that agent Booth solved most, if not at least half, of his cases; of course, your mother was also essential. " They sort of giggled. Christine looked up at them and said, "you know, so many of my memories, as a little child, are based sitting in this Booth. Hank is probably the same. Eating pie with Dad, mom always hated the pie - cooked fruit. Oh, the only time that she would eat pie was when she was pregnant." Hank smiled and said, "Well, I guess that's where I ended up with that predilection towards the sweet, cooked fruits that mom so despises."

Christine continued, "but I would love an opportunity to sit down with as many of the waitstaff or cooks. Hell, anyone who has any memories of my father to record them, I'm willing to do them anyway, whichever way is comfortable for you all. And we could post them as soon as possible because, unfortunately, there are many bad people out there. And those bad people want a darken my father's memory. One of the oldest waitresses at this point, she was the restaurant's assistant manager; she had been working at the Diner most of her adult life. Be it when she was in College or later when she had her family and now in her maturity. She stepped forward and said, "Is there someone trying to darken his memory? Are you serious? Just she looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Absolutely." The assistant manager looked at her and said, "can you divulge some of those statements or rumours? " Christina had always seen this woman in the backgrounds of her childhood memories; she had served her parent's table so many times. On April Fool's Day, many years before, Christine was merely a small child. This waitress had served up for Booth without him asking for anything, a large cappuccino with cinnamon on top. The waitstaff all waited for his approval or what they were really expecting... his anger. He drank a sip of it, but he was far more interested in telling a story about a purple dinosaur to Christine. On his second gulp of the sweet milky drink, he stops, looks up at them and says, "What is this stuff? What have you done to me? I didn't fight in the army to drink this." The waitstaff all broke out laughing and shouted together. "Happy, Happy April Fool's Day, Agent Booth." Perceiving he had been pranked, He started to laugh, and he smiled, asking, "Now you've done your prank, and you have been successful. Please, will you give me a proper cup of coffee?" The waitress reminiscing on these points, said, " I could tell you 101 stories like that.

Christine adjusted her blouse, situated herself in her spot in the Booth, which the assistant manager noted to a friend in warm undertones, "that's how her mother does it when there is something uncomfortable that she needs to say.

Christine then cleared her voice and said, "they're trying to destroy my dad's name. They're saying my dad cheated on my mother. They're saying that he married her for money. They're saying... they're saying a lot of garbage. The waitress giggled, laughed and said, " Only ones who could say this are people who didn't know your parents. Years ago, The fine matron you know as your mother wasn't always as friendly and approachable today. Her students and coworkers feared her; She was cruel and abrasive. So, Booth gets close to her; Booth changed her, made her a much better person. And another waitress, older than the assistant manager, poked her head out and said, "well, I'll also add that after having you, she really changed. She became much more attached to the concept of a family and much, much less lonely. Your mother was so lonely before Booth. She lived for books. She lived for her career but had nothing else in it. With this all coming out, Christine swung around in the Booth and looked at them. "Would you be willing to put that on tape? Would you be willing to speak out unequivocally about what you've seen? The staff looked at each other " Which one do you want? We can all tell stories. We all know the truth; how many times was agent Booth here in your middle of the night working on a case. And your mum would pull herself out of bed just to sit down with him to help him work through a case that she might not be involved in. the two are symbiotically united. They were connected. One couldn't be without the other. Another one chirped up in the Back, saying, " you know husbands and wives may love each other. They may have families, but they also look for their independence and spaces to pull themselves away from each other for a bit just so things don't get stale. But your parents were different. They were like sharpening blocks. They sharpened each other they made things real and interesting. The only one I ever saw here with your dad, and your parents came here all the time, but the only other one that I ever saw with your father was your mother, and if your mother wasn't here, Angela was here. Check-in on Booth because your mom couldn't make it because one of you guys was in some type of tournament or something. That being said, Christine said, " so you're willing? would you help me? And they all said together, " just come during the day. Give us a couple of days. We can have people come in and sit down with you and just record." The assistant manager just blurted out, " you've just made my night. Thank you so much, and we should retire this Booth In honour of your father. Your father did much good for the country and received nothing in return."

Christine dabbed at her face, tried to Clear to tear from her eye, thank them, and started on her late-night dinner. The bell rang over the door, and a lady in her 60s, with gray, blond hair, walked in surveys the scene. The restaurant staff towards the interloper. Burley quickly identifies the back corner booth. And she looks over, and she's shocked because she sees two people sitting there who have a lot of the same mannerisms as two others who, years before, would sit and argue for years over their cases. She scuffled towards the Back of the restaurant, waving off the waitstaff. She turned at that familiar Booth and looked at the two young adults sitting there, munching in a way that reminded her of Booth and Brennan. Christine's stealing Hank's French fries even though her plate had plenty still. And she cleared her voice and asked a simple question. "Are you Agent Booth's Children?" Christine looks up quizzically and says, "yes, I am his daughter. Is there something you want to talk about?" There was defiance there; there was steel in her eyes. And as she stood, she stood tall. Her shoulders were not too broad but broad enough. Someone willing to take on the world if necessary. Hannah extended her hand towards Christine, saying, " my name is Hannah Burley. I came to Washington to talk with you." Christine squinted her eyes and quickly said, "your name rings a bell, but I don't remember from where that bell rings." In a sense, sitting down still, forgotten, Hank clears his voice and says, " Christine, she's dad's ex." Christine looked over at her with fire in her eyes and said, " what's the meaning of this visit?" Hannah just saw the look, saw the attitude and laughed, and that laugh became really loud. Christine looked at her and said, " I don't understand why you're laughing?" It was at this point, Hannah says, " Do you know how many times your mother said that to me? I don't understand what you're saying. Yes, your name is Hank, right? Named after your Great Grandfather. I was your father's ex. I regretted what I did afterwards. But in a sense, I didn't regret it. Because what your parents had was obvious to everyone except me until I realized that it was not for me. I've been reached out to by various sources, and I need to speak to you or possibly Parker, principally To see what you are doing. And how are you going to defend your father's name?" Seeing that Hannah wasn't an enemy, she offered her a seat. Hannah ordered herself some tea and some pie. they begin to chat. Hannah explained her time with their Children's father and explained what had happened. Why they had broken up. What was the time between the breakup and the inevitable connection of their mom and dad? Some of the reasons why the breakup was necessary. Finally, she said, " you have to remember your mother broke your father's heart when she rejected him. Your father went to Afghanistan because of heartbreak. Your mother couldn't understand her own emotions. So, she went to the end of the world, trying to figure herself out. I met your father in Afghanistan. Your father was trying to get over your mother... your mother rejected him, you understand? He was really a free agent, but this was a while after this whole thing fell down. So, there's no cheating going on. Your mother comes back from the middle of the Polynesian jungles, and she is convinced that Booth is for her, but she still doesn't know how to act on it. In the meantime, Booth and I are a thing. But Booth is acting strange, Different. his friends, people you know are telling me that I am not good for him. That he is changed in a bad way. Slowly but surely, I perceive that if I seriously contemplated a relationship with him, he would always have your mother somehow attached to the relationship. And this wouldn't work; Not for me. I wanted to be the only woman. when your mother finally confessed her feelings to your father. For me, that was a solid blow that there was no way that this was going to work, right? It was always going to be half-broken because your father always loved your mother. So, when your father proposed marriage, I knew I had to reject it. I didn't know how to reject it. So, I just rejected it. That Broke your father when he left with his proud shoulders duped. I knew I needed to do something. I rushed back to his apartment, picked up my items and called your mother to tell her what had happened. I told her to please go get Booth before he did something stupid. Christine broke in and said, " so you two were friends." Hannah cuts in, "And look, we were terrific friends. Your mother and I broke off our friendship because she felt guilty that I had caused pain to your father by breaking up even though she was the direct beneficiary of the breakup. But that's how your mother is." Christine nodded her head and said, " I understand.

Hank squinted hard, "I'm not catching that one. That one's beyond me. " But could you continue, please? Hank was taking notes during the conversation. "So, your parents got together, and they had you. They had a hell of a time after that. We have this crazy guy, a super-smart guy called Christopher Pelant. Wrecking lives and killing people. Your parents can solve the case in the end. They're finally able to get married because Pelant was blackmailing her father; he threatened to kill people if he got married to Dr. Brenan." Christine broke the conversational line, " Is there any possibility that my father cheated on my mother? And Hannah Burley looked at her and said, "God help us. You are your mother's child, but you're like your father too. Good. The Booth side of you is going to keep you sane because with Booth gone. And your mother by herself would have driven herself insane with her questions. I don't believe there's a possibility because your father always thought about your mother at all times. And he is an upright man and would never cheat. So, if he did, he would drive himself insane. Question for you, Christine. Was he insane?" Christine sat back and said, " No. Absolutely not insane."

"Was he agitated? anything strange? or was he at ease?" Christine stated, "he was normal with all of us, including mom."

"Okay, I'm getting this, good. Good. So, nothing to worry about with your dad; it is all garbage. Tell me what's going on, Christine, please." Hannah continued.

Christine looked at her and said, "to fill you in properly. I need a couple of hours, seriously. And I would like to have my mom present. Just to make it look better for her, she doesn't think I'm slinking around in the background. I want to make sure that mom knows what's going on. Because this has been a lot for her to take," Hannah said, " I was going to call her this evening, but it got late, and I wanted to get something to eat first."

Christine then wrote down on a card her private number and her mother's. This is mom's cell phone call her first thing in the morning. 7:30am would be a great time to call her and mention that you cleared into us at the Diner. We're going to be a little late for work tomorrow. We've been working on getting a crack in a case that we have been working on. And we need to eat and get some sleep so that we will be able to work tomorrow.

But on the other hand, why don't you go by the lab. Say hello to mom to Angela and Jack. Christine turned and said, " have you seen them Since you left, dad? Hannah cleared her voice and said, "okay. I always got along with your mother, but Angela, that was another story. I didn't get along so well with her. See, your auntie thought that I was getting in the way. So, she treated me pretty roughly. So, I'm a little worried that she might not have forgotten her past problems with me; bygones be bygones. You mentioned Hodgins, right, Jack Hodgins. So, he's still working?"

" He's still working, but unfortunately, age and the accident he had those many years back Haven't been kind to him. But he's still got the same brain. He's my Uncle Bugs."

Hannah, then change the subject slightly, said, "just for you to know. I've been following your career and also Hank's. From what is written about you on the internet and the various newspapers, just keeping tabs on people I know. And I'm happy to say that you have reformed and become what I always hoped you would be. I saw some interviews with you. When you were in the FBI, you scared me. You didn't seem at all bright minded like your mother. And you didn't seem to be the crusading type like your father. You look like a pinhead official, a Paper pushing lackey that scared me." Christine swallowed her mouthful of hamburger and said, "you are not the only one to note that. But thank you. I hope I have changed enough that I can make my family proud."

Hannah stated, " What you're doing, clearing your father's name, is what your father would have done for your mother. So, you are doing your family proud." And then she turned to Hank, "and your academic acumen is off the charts. Don't listen to those idiots said, in those forensic journals, the mixture of the academic with neanderthal destroys the brilliance of their children. Booth with your mom created well-balanced kids. I know Hank, you're a little on the small side. But before that, you are a well-formed human. And Christine, your jujitsu, as I have heard, is very good. " Christine smiled and said, " I practice every Thursday. And I work out three times a week. Just so I don't kill anybody when I have to explain for the 14th time to an intern how to do an exam properly." And Hannah giggled and said, "You see, that's Booth. That's Booth. Booth was the best shot around. But he always practiced. He practiced three or four times a week. Why? Because he was worried that he might lose something. Keep that in mind."

Hannah finished the little food in front of her, picked up her cell phone, and dialled herself in Uber. Within moments an Uber was in front of the Diner; she bid goodbye to the two doctors and walked out the door. Christine looked at Hank and said, " this couldn't be a better day. The testimony of the waitstaff here and the information we can get from Hannah will help so much." Hank got a little bit of water, gulped it down. Hank cleared his throat and said, "on another point, Christine. You're going to have to bridge the gap with Parker." Christine skewered her eyebrows and asked, "what do you mean?"

"Parker is like us because of dad. But it's not logical. Like us... like, mom. Parker is half Rebecca. Oh, that's such a sad thing. He's susceptible. And what you've done to him over the last couple of years, it's going to take a lot of work for him to forget. He hasn't forgotten yet, nor has his wife." Christine looked at Hank and said, "yeah, talking about his wife. I really don't know her." Hank stated, "Thank God, of course, you don't know her. You decided to go on a research trip just before his wedding and then got stuck. Wasn't it in Mumbai? Because the typhoon came through and the airplanes couldn't fly. Dad was furious, mom was trying to justify you, but she just gave up and then when you flipped to the FBI and decided to call yourself Brennan and not Booth? Well, she didn't take that nicely. She hadn't changed her name to Booth after the wedding because she said that she liked the accomplishments she had already gotten for herself before marriage. But when she saw that Booth's own daughter disowned him. she marched herself into a courthouse changed her name. In the same day, the man of the FBI changed her to Booth. So yes, she has an issue with you, so I recommend you go there soon when you go there. Be prepared for a very tough conversation, Because you have to convince her that you're worthwhile to even talk to. She shuts me up every time I try to speak nicely about you. And Parker almost starts crying when this happens; Mom starts defending you. It gets gruesome. So, Christine, you're going to need to do some work, And it's not nice, it's mucky.

Christine, being more analytical than political at these moments of stress, pulled out her cell phone at 10:45pm and called Parker's cell. Answered on the third ring, the groggy voice of Parker Booth came through.

" Parker, it's Christine."

" Christine. It's late; I was trying to sleep. The kids were up. What's wrong? did someone die?"

"Please, NO. Parker. I would like to speak to you face to face without your book, without distractions. I need to talk to you."

Then there was a weird giggle that came from Parker but not a nice chuckle. A sarcastic laugh, "So what happened, Christine? You get drunk. Did you decide that you want to make up with me now?" Christine stopped and said, " Firstly, I'm not drunk. I haven't had anything to drink, okay? I have had some iced tea. I just realized that what I have been trying to do, reaching out slowly to you, isn't working and that I need to sit down with you and try to make you understand the reasons behind all of my bad decisions and what I'm doing about that. And to find out how I can make up with you."

Parker was kind of stunned into silence. Christine always used the veneer of her father whenever she talked to people. She used a more gregarious attitude, a charmer. But right now, at 10:45pm at night. What he was getting was his adopted mother in pure form. This was 100% Brennan in her most analytical form conceivable. She didn't care that it was 10:45pm. She didn't care that she woke someone up. She wants to rectify a wrong, and she wants it done immediately. Parker's rye laughed and said, "well, Christine, we're not going to do it over the phone. And we're not going to do it tonight, Christine."

"That's correct. That wouldn't be very wise. I'm exhausted. And I have been handling dead things all day, and I prefer not having a conversation with my brother. Smelling like some dead thing."

"Would you like to have my wife present?" Christine stopped and said, " I would like to apologize to your wife separately from you, but it could also be done together. That point is less pertinent. She is my sister-in-law, but you're my brother. I can't lose you. And the more time passes, the more I perceive how much I almost lost everything important to me. So, Parker, will you meet me?"

Parker stopped and said, "I will talk with my wife; We will see what she wants to do. I will get back to you; I'm sure we can arrange something. It might be at the Diner. It might be in a park. It might be here on my couch. At this point, I want to make sure that my wife is comfortable with me meeting with you and that it can be a functional meeting."

Christine's Back stiffens at this point. "Parker, before I end this conversation, I want to assure you that I am a million times sorry for everything I've done wrong. I have been the worse. Worse than the worse. I have seen it. I understand it now. But that's only the first apology that I will give you. I want to find practical ways to show that I am sorry, Parker, for everything I did."

Parker starts, " Firstly, be present. Secondly, worry about others more than yourself. Then everything else falls into place. But I will ask my wife, and we'll get back to you." So, he hung up the phone.

Hank looked sadly over at her. Her eyes heavy glistened. She muttered, "how blind I was. I always leaned on Parker for everything. How can I let it go So far? How can I be so blind?" Hank looked up at her and said, " you were far from port. We all suspected at one point you were just going to legally change your name and move out of town," then she stammered and said, " I owe all of you so much. I owe Dad so much. But we're working towards solutions now. And I'm going to work as hard as I can to make sure that people know who he is better than I did. Obviously. I thought he was some mid-level loser who didn't progress because he never decided to go forward."

Hank reached over his arm and tapped his sister's shoulder. "You wouldn't have been able to hear all these truths some months ago. You've made good progress. Now, before we finish here, and catch a murderer, put them in jail. And then we're going to work on your next case, which is to figure out how to bring Parker back into the family properly. And we need to talk to mom about Hannah Burley. Find out what she knows about her. Christine pays the bill, and they walked out not before arranging later in the week to come in during the off time to record anyone who would like to make a testimony about the experiences they had with one Special Agent, Seeley Booth.