(peeks over shoulder...spins around...clasp hands together and jumps up and down) Oh...you did it! You all pushed me over the 300 mark! I know, I know...bribing is not nice. But I was just soooooo freakin' close. And I just wanted to make sure that you really wanted the next chapter.

A/N: Ok, so here we are...the next to the last chapter. Can you all beleive it? So we have climbed to the top of the mountain. All of our questions are out there...waiting to be answered. And in this chapter...all the ends...will...most of the ends are tied up in a pretty bow. Let me go ahead and tell you this...this chapter takes place AFTER the fact. The case is solved...the bad guy caught...the file handed in to Cullen. So sit back...read...and see if you had it figured out.

"I'm all ears, Agent Booth," Deputy Director Cullen said, as he leaned forward in his chair. His hands resting on his desk. Booth sat opposite of the angry looking director. "Tell me how this…usual- to say the least- case went down." Booth took a deep breath.

"Well, you see, sir, Bon-uh, Brennan wasn't haveing much luck with the skeleton brought into the lab. There were no teeth, and no DNA so no way to know who he was. With the case file on the Whitman boy being ransacked and missing half the stuff, we had to start with what we knew. That Jeremy Whitman had gone missing just over 2 years ago. So Brennan had Ms. Montenegro use her Angelator thingy to analyze a picture of Jeremy taken two day before he went missing. Well, Angela was able to determine that the boy in the picture and the skeleton were not the same height."

"I do hope you have more than that, Booth," Cullen said.

"Yes, sir," Booth told him. "But that's what got my suspicions up. Then a woman came forward and said that she saw Jeremy talking to a man for a month before he went missing. So I sent a sketch artist over to talk to the woman and to get a drawing of the man. We were able to establish that the man and Jeremy had a lot of the same features."

"So who is this man?" Cullen interrupted.

"In due time, sir. After we found this out, I began to think that maybe Jeremy was adopted. But that wasn't the case. I had Hodgins look into some public records where he found an old newspaper article of Jeremy at age four. Just some fun little piece about a fair. Anyhow, once he found that, we had Angela age the boy and he didn't look anything like the Jeremy that had went missing. So then we had to figure out why."

"And you said the squint searched only public records?" Cullen asked.

"Absolutely," Booth answered. Cullen motion for him to continue. "Anyhow, Hodgins found an article about a young boy named Kevin Wolffe who went missing around age four, not far from where the Whitman's lived in Alabama."

"Let me guess, Ms. Montenegro's skills came into play again?" Booth nodded.

"Indeed. She was able to age the missing person picture to give us an almost identical picture of the missing Jeremy."

"So the Whitman family kidnapped Kevin Wolffe?" Cullen asked. Booth nodded. "But what happened to their own son? Is he dead?"

"Well, after hours of sitting in a very uncomfortable chair," Booth said. "I came across the answer. The real Jeremy isn't dead. He's in a mental hospital. Apparently Mr. Whitman thought a mentally challenged kid wouldn't look good for him in his race for public office. So he stuck him in some hospital in Texas, far away from where they were living, claiming he was a nephew and his parents were dead. With enough money, nobody asked questions."

"Then what? They take the Wolffe kid and leave Alabama?"

"Yup. They took Kevin and spent a year overseas passing the boy as Jeremy. When they came back nobody was the wiser." Cullen rubbed his face and sat back in his chair.

"But what about the mystery man? And who killed the kid?"

"Ah, well, you see, Mr. Wolffe never stopped looking for his son. He happened to see a picture of Kevin in the newspaper when he came for a visit with his family. Mr. Wolffe knew it was his son. He was the man Mrs. Jones saw talking to Jeremy…err…Kevin."

"So why did you arrest the Whitmans?"

"Because, sir, Mr. Wolffe finally convinced Kevin of the truth, and the boy ran away to go back to his real family. That's when the Whitman's reported him missing. Only Kevin came back. He wanted answers that only the Whitman's could give. In a fit a rage Mr. Whitman killed him." Cullen shook his head.

"My head hurts," he said.

"I know, my did too trying to figure it all out. Especially with your ban on me working with Brennan and then my partner goes missing. But we solved the case."

"And not to the uppers liking," Cullen pointed out. "That's why that new agent was sent in. To keep you from solving it. What they didn't except is for you and your squint squad to go behind her back." Booth gave a low chuckle. "How did you find out about Diana Alexander, anyhow?"

"I have my ways, sir. Ways I would prefer not to say." Cullen nodded his understanding.

"You know my hands where tired with this case, don't you, Booth? It wasn't my idea." Booth nodded.

"I know sir."

"You do know that the high ups are not happy with you, don't you? They are down right ticked that you outsmarted one of their best agents."

"If she was one of their best, they need new agents." This time Cullen chuckled.

"That they do." Booth stood from his chair.

"Does this mean that I'm back with Brennan?" Booth asked.

"In my opinion, Booth, you were never away from her. For some reason you two work well together. I have no intention of splitting you up." Booth gave him a smile and turned to leave. His hand was on the door handle when Cullen spoke again. "Oh, Booth, tell Goodman good work." Booth turned back to the deputy director who just gave him a stern look. A look that read 'ask no questions'. Booth nodded and then left.

When Special Agent Seeley Booth left FBI headquarters it was dark. It had been a long day- hell a long few days- and he couldn't wait to get home. But there was one place he needed to stop first. He smiled to himself and tossed his keys into the air and caught them. "Well, well, well," a voice said as he made it to the driving side door of his SUV. He turned, putting his keys into his jacket pocket. Greg Blancher stood glaring at him. "If it isn't the hero of the FBI."

"Do I know you?" Booth asked, taking in the man.

"No, but I know you and your partner, Dr. Brennan. I do hope that she wasn't too shaken by her kidnapping." Booth froze, anger beginning to boil in his vein. "Diana said she was one tough cookie." Greg slowly shook his head. "May I say, Agent Booth, you really did surprise us."

"You stay away from Brennan," he threatened.

"Oh, I have no more use of her. That was only a ploy to distract you, which failed thanks to your little threat to Diana."

"You son of a…" Booth was cut short when two men came up from behind him and grabbed his arms. Struggle as he may, he couldn't break their hold.

"Now, now, Booth, do hold your temper."

"What do you want?" Booth spat at him. Greg took a step toward him and landed a punch in his gut. Booth would have doubled over if it hadn't been for the two men on either side of him.

"That one was for exposing Diana. You would have done better to leave thing alone." Greg threw another punch, this one making contact with the side of his face. Booth saw the punch coming and turned his head to try to absorb most of the shock. Still, when he turned back to the man and small trickle of blood came from the corner of his mouth. Booth licked his lips and tasted the blood.

"If you work with Alexander," Booth said. "Then I feel sorry for you." Greg threw another punch to Booth's gut.

"She's my partner," Greg spat. "And thanks to you our boss is not happy

at all. Which means I'm not happy." Another punch made contact with Booth. This time the two men holding him let go, and Booth found himself on his knees, holding his stomach.

"Sorry…to hear…you have…that as a…partner," Booth hissed out between clenched teeth.

"Why you," Greg finished his sentence with a kick toward Booth, which he caught, sending Greg backwards and hitting the ground hard. Greg's two thug made a move toward Booth, but he was already to his feet with his gun drawn.

"I wouldn't," he said. He reached behind him and opened the door. Still pointing the gun at the two large men, Booth glanced over at Greg, as he got into the SUV. "Give my regards to Diana. Hope I never see either one of you'll again." With that Booth slammed the door shut and locked the doors. He quickly started the engine and pulled off.

Ahhh...still no kiss, eh? Will never fear. I promised a kiss before the end of the story...and since there's only one chapter left...you can count on it to be there.

So what did you think? I hope everything got answer...if not...I meant to do it and plan on another fic about it...just tell me what it is ;-)

Hope I didn't make anybody mad with Booth gettin' beat up a little. Greg was just protecting his partner...same as Booth does.

BTW...after Wednesday...I won't be on until next week. The finally chapter will be up before then..but I might not get to answer the reviews until then. And those of you who review all the time...know I try to answer each review.

Ok...that's it.

TBC...