(In the future)
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I really don't own Bones.
Ooooooooooooooooo
Hank spied his sister walking towards him and hunched his shoulders dreading her scorn when she found out what had happened earlier that afternoon.
Walking rapidly towards her little brother, Christine couldn't help but notice Hank's stooped shoulders and the look of fear on his face. Once she was close enough, she placed her right hand on his shoulder and squeezed it a little. "What's your problem? Did you get suspension again? Mom and Dad are going to go ballistic if . . ."
"No, I didn't." Hank shrugged off her hand and stepped around her. "Can we just go home now?"
Not sure what was going on, Christine turned and grabbed her brother's arm. "Whoa, obviously something is going on and I want to know what it is."
Embarrassed and angry at the same time, Hank turned to face his sister. "Mom is going to be so mad at me . . . It's not my fault Chrissy, I swear it isn't."
Being five years older than her brother, Christine sometimes felt like a second mother to her little brother. "What isn't your fault?"
His hand trembling, Hank pointed at an older boy talking to two other boys in the school yard. "Brad Menard took Grampa Max's wallet from me. He saw me buy a coke and I was holding the wallet in my hand in the vending machine room and he said I probably stole it since eight year old kids don't have money so they don't need wallets."
Furious, Christine slipped off her book bag and shoved it in to her brother's arms. "We'll see about that." Quickly marching over to where Brad stood, the girl placed her hand on the boy's shoulder and pulled him around to face her. "Give it back."
"Give what back?" Brad sneered at the girl and glanced at his friends. "Touch me again and I may just give you a spanking."
Her face suddenly cool and emotionless, Christine jabbed the boy in the chest. "You and what army ace? I've got a purple belt in karate. You try to spank me and you just might find out what it's like to eat someone's fist."
"Ooh, I'm shaking. A purple belt." Brad laughed. "Listen little girl, walk away while you can."
Christine smiled and poked the boy in the chest once more. "Give me my brother's wallet . . . now."
His pride on the line, Brad puffed up his chest and pointed at Hank. "No little kid carries around a wallet. He stole it and I'm keeping it to teach him a lesson."
One of Brad's friends, Jason Mires lived next door to Christine Booth and he knew that Brad was making a big mistake. "Brad, if you have Hank's wallet you better give it back. His father is Agent Booth. He's an Assistant Deputy Director with the FBI and my Dad says he's some tough shit."
Doubt suddenly entering his mind, Brad turned his head to look at his friend. "So what, my Dad is Assistant Deputy Director at Homeland Security. He can't do anything to me."
Jason was getting a little frustrated with his friend's arrogance and he noticed that Christine was giving his friend a murderous look. "Don't you remember that time we had that nut walk into the school last year and threatened to kill Mr. Moore and some of his class because Mr. Moore gave Mr. Dyer's son a failing grade? Agent Booth was the one that arrested Mr. Dyer . . . broke his arm arresting him . . . do not mess with his kids okay? Just give Christine back the wallet. If Hank has one it's probably because his mother writes books and Dad says she's rich."
Brad remembered Agent Booth really well and he hadn't realized that Hank and Christine were his children. Not really certain how to save the situation, Brad pulled the wallet from his jacket pocket and threw it on the ground. "Here's your wallet. I am going to report you to the principal. I still think the kid stole it." His body stiff, Brad pushed his friend Jason aside and walked away.
Embarrassed and worried about what Christine was going to tell her father, Jason gave her a sick smile. "Christine just take the wallet and walk away. Brad is an idiot and he thinks he's a super cop or something because his dad is in Homeland Security. Just . . . I had nothing to do with him taking Hank's wallet. I didn't even know he'd taken it from him."
Actually relieved that Brad had given up the wallet, Christine smiled, squatted and picked up the wallet. "This wallet belonged to my mother's father. She would be really upset if she found out someone had stolen it from Hank."
Jason knew that his neighbors were important people in the community and he knew he'd have to talk to Brad about verifying things before going off half-cocked on other people. "Sure she would, but you have it back now. I'll talk to Brad."
Done with the conversation, Christine turned, gave the wallet to her brother and took her book bag back from the boy. "Come on, Hank, we have to go home."
Glad to get his wallet back, Hank dusted it off, checked to make sure his five dollars were still in the fold and placed the wallet in his back pack. "Thanks Chrissy. Mom would have been upset if I'd lost it."
Ooooooooooooooooooooooo
That evening, Hank waited until dinner was being be prepared by his parents, sat down at the island next to the kitchen and folded his hands on the counter. "Dad, do you have an old wallet I can use?"
Surprised at the request, Brennan placed the paring knife and onion she was holding down on the cutting board and turned to stare at her son. "Where is the wallet I gave you last week?"
He had known his mother was going to be suspicious, so he was ready for her. Slowly, he pulled the wallet from his pants pocket and held it up. "It's right here. I just think since its Grandpa Max's wallet, I shouldn't use it right now. I'm just a little kid and I could lose it."
Christine entered the kitchen to retrieve some dishes and flat wear to set on the table, glanced at Hank and gave him a guarded thumbs up.
Booth thought about it and pointed down the hallway. "I have an old wallet in the top right-hand side of my dresser. It's sitting on a couple of belts. If you want it you can have it."
"Thanks Dad." Hank slid off the stool and raced down the hallway. As his sister set the table the phone rang and Booth answered it. "Booth . . . a stolen wallet? Listen Mr. Vader, my kids don't steal. My son owns a wallet, it's his grandfather's . . . I told you he owns a wallet . . . I advise you to tell whoever told you that lie that he's walking on thin ice . . . I don't give a shit who his father is . . . You called me and accused my son of stealing. I told you he owns a wallet and that should be the end of it . . . my daughter did what? Zero tolerance huh? Well I'm sure she threatened him for a reason. Did you ask the kid why Christine threatened him? . . . Bullshit, he was obviously trying to snow you just like he did about the wallet . . . Does your zero tolerance include children falsely accusing other kids of stealing and principals that don't get their facts straight before calling parents and accusing their kids of stealing or being a bully? Since you're impressed with that kids father then maybe you should find out who I am or who my wife is . . . Listen you prick my wife and I pay a lot of money to have our kids go that private school of yours and that's how you treat my kids or me? . . . yeah? I'll be in to see you tomorrow morning . . . no threat . . . no, I'm withdrawing my kids from your damn school that's why I'll be there. You can kiss my ass and our money goodbye and I'll make sure my friends and co-workers know what a shit show you're running . . . your apology is not accepted." Booth ended the call and turned to look at his daughter. "Christine."
Quickly placing the forks down on the table, Christine held up her hands in a placating manner and faced her father. "Dad, Brad took Hank's wallet from him and accused him of stealing it. I tried to make him give it back, but I never hit him or anything. I just demanded he give it back. I told him about my purple belt, but that was because I wanted to warn him before he hit me. The guy threatened to spank me. I was prepared to protect myself. I poked him a couple of times in the chest, that's all. Jason told him to give the wallet to me and Brad threw it on the ground and that's all there is to it."
"Christine, why didn't you tell us about this when we came home." Brennan was very annoyed that her son had been accused of being a thief, but even more upset that some child had tried to steal his wallet from her son and her daughter had been threatened. A spanking? That was just uncalled for. "While I don't agree that violence settles anything, you do have a right to defend yourself and you have a right to defend your brother." Brennan sighed and turned her attention towards her husband. "Booth, perhaps you're being hasty about wanting to withdraw Hank and Christine from the school. Perhaps if the boy that stole Hank's wallet and threatened Christine is punished that will be enough."
His eyes flashing in anger, Booth placed his hands on the counter and shook his head. "That school advertises as being the best, but its bullshit. Their security sucks, remember when Philip Dyer threatened to kill a teacher and held him hostage along with some kids? Now some kid steals from Hank and instead of the principal looking into it, he take the word of a damn bully and thief and treats my kid like a criminal. Also no one threatens to spank my daughter. No one. That entire school can kiss my ass. You told me when Christine was five that schools were my responsibility and I'm telling you our kids are not going back to that school. Hodgins has been trying to talk me into checking out the school Michael Vincent goes to and that's what I'm going to do tomorrow after I take the kids to school and empty out their lockers."
"Alright." Brennan knew when to give in and now was the time to do it. Booth did have a point though. To accuse her son of being a thief was a step too far and to have a bully threaten to spank her daughter, well, it was probably a good thing she hadn't answered the phone. "I did say you have the final word about schools. I must remind you that this is the second school we're going to be withdrawing our children from. We may run out of school if this continues . . . I will go with you tomorrow when you withdraw the children from their school. I have a few things I wish to say to the principal."
That sounded rather ominous and Booth liked it. There was no show on this earth greater than when his wife wanted to 'talk' to someone. "Great, we'll talk to him together."
Hank raced back into the kitchen and held up Booth's old wallet. "I found it."
"Hank, you and Christine will no longer be going to that school of yours." Booth placed his hands on his hips. "Your principal called me about your wallet. You and your sister aren't going back there except to get your stuff out of your lockers. Your mother and I are going to see about enrolling you into Michael Vincent's school."
Stunned the boy turned to stare at his sister. "Wow."
Resigned to the coming changes, Christine shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, wow."
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