(Before 'The Conspiracy in the Corpse')
A/N: This story consists of three chapters.
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I don't own Bones.
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Dr. Lance Sweets was worried. He had no doubts that Booth would be released from prison, but he was worried about Booth's state of mind when the man returned to the FBI. The psychologist had read Booth's file when he'd first come to work at the Hoover, but concerned for his friend, he decided to reacquaint himself with the file looking for clues about how Booth might be coping with prison.
Careful to go over the early years of Booth's military record, he paid close attention to the psychological tests and interviews the man had gone through once he'd been rescued after being held a prisoner of war. While he'd been held captive, Booth had been beaten and tortured and once that ordeal was over, he'd had numerous surgeries to fix the damage done to his feet. Through the many surgeries and rehabilitation, Booth had shown resilience, a strong faith in God and fate and he'd become a better soldier because of his ordeal.
Because Booth was older and less resilient, Sweets was worried that he might not come out of prison the person he was when he'd entered the system. He'd tried several times to see the agent while he was locked up, but the warden refused to give him permission. The only people allowed to see Booth was his wife and his lawyer and the prosecutor handling Booth's case wouldn't budge and give anyone else permission to see the prisoner.
Afraid for the mental health of his friend, Sweets had met with Deputy Director Stark to talk about Booth. "Booth didn't do what you people say he did. He's the most honest, loyal and professional agent I've ever met. Whatever happened in that house, it didn't go the way you people say it went."
Annoyed, Stark sighed. "Quit saying you people. I'm not involved in investigating what happened. I don't even know who is investigating the case. I assume Homeland Security is looking into it, but I really don't know. Believe me, I've tried to find out what's going on, but there's a firewall between me and what's happening. Even the Director has been squeezed out by the DOJ. He's angry and he's tried to get around the prosecutor for the case but so far, he's been told he's too close to Booth and he has to step back if he wants to stay the Director of the FBI . . . I'm new around here, but I was told to step back too."
"Well, that sounds fishy to me." Sweets felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. "Something is wrong. I've never heard of a situation like this. Have you?"
"No, I haven't and neither has the Director." Stark leaned back and placed his hands on the arms of his chair. "I can't even find out the names of the agents killed. If it were up to me, I'd force the DOJ to show me what evidence they have, but the Director said we have to bide our time at least for a little while. They can't sit on Booth and his case. It's too high a profile for that to happen."
Worried, Sweets decided to point out the elephant in the room "If we have time to bide by. Booth could get killed in prison before we get him out."
"You think I haven't thought about that?" Stark was a very worried man. It seemed to him that a serious message was being sent to the FBI and Booth was the message. "Look, Booth was arrested for murdering three FBI agents. He's going to have to face a judge soon. This can't drag out too much longer. At that point, the DOJ will have to present evidence for a trial to be scheduled. If they can't show their case then they'll have to let Booth go."
"In the meantime, the agents around here think Booth is guilty." He needed to point out the obvious. "I'm sure you've heard the talk. He's not going to be trusted by anyone in this building and he can't go out in the field if he can't trust the agent working with him." This worried the psychologist a lot.
Slowly nodding his head, Stark knew that Sweets was right. "I know. I need to have a new agent transferred to the Hoover. Someone that doesn't know Booth. Someone with an open mind."
"Yes Sir and I think I have the man we need." Sweets leaned over and handed the Deputy Director a folder. "I've looked at agents in New York and Maryland. Field offices with competent agents who know how to do their jobs and who've never worked here in the Hoover."
"Agent James Aubrey?" Stark flipped through the folder and found a picture of Aubrey's father included in the file. "Philip Aubrey? He's the son of Philip Aubrey?"
Prepared, Sweets nodded his head. "Agent Aubrey hasn't seen his father since he was a child. Philip Aubrey ran away to somewhere in Europe just before the hammer came down on him. James Aubrey hasn't had any contact with his father and based on psych reviews, the Agent is the exact opposite of his father. He's honest, loyal to the FBI and he's smart. Because of his father and the assumptions made about him, I think James will be willing to give Booth the benefit of the doubt."
Staring at the rest of the reports, Stark finally closed the folder and placed it on his desk. "We can transfer him here, but and this is a big but, we still don't know what happened at Booth's house and if he did kill those agents then he's never getting out of prison. We may be interrupting Aubrey's career for nothing."
"Oh no, Booth is innocent and he's not going to die in prison, not if Dr. Brennan has anything to say about it."
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Aubrey had met Sweets at a café down the street from his office and heard him out. "What makes you think Seeley Booth didn't kill those agents? Everyone I know thinks he did it."
"I'm aware of that. The press has made sure to paint Booth as guilty." Frustrated, Sweets placed his hands around his cup of coffee and stared into the dark liquid. "Look, I've worked with Booth for a long time. He isn't the man the press is portraying. They have an agenda and it's not an honest one . . . Think about it. He's been in prison for two and a half months and he hasn't appeared before a judge yet. Not because of his lawyer but because of the prosecutor. His lawyer has been trying to get Booth before a judge since he was arrested. Something is wrong. Booth's rights are being violated and so far, no one is doing anything about it. I don't want to sound like a nut, but there's some kind of conspiracy going on. By whom and why, who knows but something very weird is happening to Booth and his case and it doesn't make sense."
Rubbing his chin, Aubrey thought about what Sweets said and found the whole thing very strange. "Tell me what you know about what happened at Booth's house. Don't edit it, don't put your two cents in. Just give me the facts as you know them."
Since he was trying to convince Aubrey to work with Booth if the agent was ever released from prison, Sweet was happy to comply. Once he was done, he studied the agent to see how he would react.
Hungry, Aubrey took a bite out of his sandwich, chewed it, swallowed then sipped some of his Coke. "Okay, I see . . . why are you talking to me. What do you want from me?"
Pleased to see Aubrey hadn't discounted what he had been told, Sweets knew it was now or never. "I'd like to have you transferred to the Hoover, the sooner the better. I have a feeling that Booth is going to be released from prison soon and he's going to need a friend . . . Most of the agents at the Hoover think Booth is guilty. They can't see that something is wrong. They believe what the press is printing and they haven't heard the bosses on the upper floors saying the press is wrong. The fact is the Director of the FBI's hands have been tied. He and Deputy Director Stark have been warned to stay out of the case by the DOJ . . . When Booth is released and it is when . . . he's going to need backup. He needs someone not willing to condemn him without proof. I can assure you once he's free, he's going to find out what happened to clear his name. I know Booth and I know his wife, Dr. Brennan. They're not going to let this go and I want you to be part of their team."
Not sure if he should be worried about his career, Aubrey sipped more of his Coke and stared at his sandwich. "I'm just a junior Special Agent. I'm not exactly high on the food chain around here."
"Which is what I'm looking for." Since Aubrey hadn't turned him down, Sweets continued. "The Deputy Director will transfer you to the Hoover on my say so. Once you're there, when Booth is released, you'll be assigned to Major Crimes as his potential partner. If Booth is never released, if he's tried and convicted . . . I don't see that happening, but if it does happen, you'll still be assigned to Major Crimes and you can start making your mark there. Either way, working in Major Crimes at the Hoover has to be a career boost."
Since Aubrey didn't see a downside to the offer, he held out his hand. "Deal, transfer me as soon as you can. I'll need Booth's file so I can acquaint myself with the man and not the myth." He smiled and stared at the psychologist to see how he would react.
"I'll drive back today and talk to Stark." Sweets knew he was making the right decision. "Don't talk to anyone here about your transfer. When it comes, the Special Agent in Charge will have to deal with it. It won't be your problem."
"Got it. Jerry is a pain in the ass, so it'll be nice to get out of here." Aubrey tried to get along with most people, but Jerry Greenwood viewed James Aubrey with suspicion because of his father and Aubrey was tired of it. "Put in the paperwork and I'll start packing. Send me some ads for apartments so I can find something right away."
Excited, Sweets reached across the table and shook the agent's hand. "Will do, I'll call you tomorrow once I've talked to Deputy Director Stark."
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