A/N: So Jessica is trying to work past her trauma of earlier in the week and move forward. How does she do?

Jessica drove her brother's SUV through DC, a bag from Kohl's containing a new purse on the seat next to her. She loved her current purse, but carrying a handbag with a big slash through it wasn't very fashionable.

Another example of something Gerald Maxwell had ruined since she'd made the regrettable decision to go on a date with him.

'He'll get what's coming to him.' Karma had a way of biting people in the ass when they deserved it. She had a right to not see him again. Not once did she lead him on to make him think they would have sex. No man...or woman...had the right to fornication with whomever they want unless both parties consented...and she definitely had not consented.

She wouldn't blame herself anymore. He'd used his size and money to intimidate other women in the past...of that she had no doubt. But that game would end soon, because no matter what the bastard threw at her, she wouldn't let him win.

The butterflies in her stomach got crazy the closer she got to her neighborhood. 'No giving up...I will do this...I will go into my own apartment...I will get a quick change of clothes and toiletries...then I will leave.'

Her resolve was strong until she pulled up to the turn off for the Korean grocery store. She wanted to throw up, but refused to give in to the urge. I'm a strong, independent person. I can do this.

Gripping the steering wheel, she made the left turn into the parking lot and pulled into her designated spot behind the three story building. Taking a calming breath, she got her things together and walked inside the small store. Seeing that William was with a customer, she walked around for a moment.

Looking on one of the shelves, she saw that more of the chocolates that Aubrey liked so much were in stock again. She giggled as she remembered how she and Aubrey had enjoyed them two weeks ago in her apartment...or, rather, he enjoyed eating them off strategic places on her body, making her moan as he explored her skin with kisses, hands, and his wicked tongue until she practically pushed him down and fucked him silly on her couch.

Exploring Aubrey's kinky side with food was always fun...and she was the lucky girl who got to do so.

Grabbing two bags of the candy, she walked up to the counter where she waited for Mr. Cho's grandson to finish helping an elderly woman. After bidding the woman goodbye, the young man greeted the redhead.

"Hi, Jessica." Pulling something out of his pocket, he held up two keys. "Here you go. Grandfather said the door and new deadbolt were covered under his homeowner's policy so you don't owe anything."

Taking the keys, she put them in her coat pocket. "Tell him I'm sorry for everything when he gets back from Seoul."

"It's fine. No worries.", the young man replied as he rung up her chocolate. "How is Agent Aubrey?"

"James is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery.", Jessica said with a smile before handing the young man a ten dollar bill. Accepting the change back, the redhead waved. "Thanks, William. See you later."

Going through the back door, she entered the bottom landing and felt nauseated again. Hating herself for being weak, she grabbed her phone out of her pocket and pushed a button.

"Andie...it's Jessica. I know you're writing that big paper for your final exam but can you come over to my apartment? Yeah...I'm a little scared to go in alone...thanks."

Hanging up, she stormed out and got inside the SUV to wait for her friend to show up.

Genny Shaw was in her office on the phone, files spread out all over her desk and the department budget for December on her computer monitor. In front of her was the lunch Agent Haggarty was nice enough to pick up for her while the other agent was out.

Rubbing her temple, she listened impatiently to the other person on the line. "Are you sure there's nothing you can do, Ms. Julian? That scumbag did this."

"I know that, Agent Shaw, and you know that. However, if we're going to get that little crapeau, I need more than what we have now. I need stuff that the boy can't weasel out of...you know, DNA and stuff like that. Get it for me, and I'll get a warrant so tight the slimiest lawyer can't get it slid out of court."

Genny looked up and saw Jessica walking through the bullpen. "Well, Jessica is here now, so I'll let her know what's going on."

"Watch out for that little girl, Shaw. I've already got my two boys to worry about. Can't be worrying about her or that Dr. Brennan, too."

"Yes, ma'am. Bye."

Jessica knocked on the entryway as the agent was hanging up. "Hey, Genny…how are you, today?"

"Better, now that I'm cleared and returned to full duty. How's the boss?"

The redhead sat down in front of the ASAC. "Good…but groggy. He asked about Sipoletti."

"I'm going over there later to give him an update if he's able to stay awake long enough to listen to it. Tomorrow I'll go back and plan out the next couple of weeks with him.", Genny replied before seeing the subtle trembling of the redhead in front of her. "Jessica, how are you?"

The anthropologist gulped. "Good…good, I guess…scared…"

"About Aubrey or what's happened to you?"

"Both.", Jessica said softly before wiping a tear away. "I'm sorry…I thought I was over this…I've got the FBI working on my case…my boyfriend is alive after being shot at close range…why am I crying?"

"Stress." The petite woman got up and sat on the corner of the desk in front of the redhead. "You're relieved…and scared…it's okay to feel that way, Jessica. Remember me, yesterday? It really helped that you let me yammer about everything, too. Thanks for that by the way."

"Yeah...any time." Jessica nodded resolutely as she clenched her jaw. "Okay…I know you have a lot on your plate with pinch hitting for Aubrey while he's off, but can you give me an update on my case?"

The ASAC was dreading this conversation, but the woman in front of her had a right to know. With a heavy heart, she explained her phone call with Caroline and their options, trying to ignore the woman's trembling lip that then morphed into angry eyes.

"So that's where we're at.", Genny said. "It's mostly circumstantial."

Jessica inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "So, Gerald gets away with this? It's bad enough he's trying to scare me at work, but he's…"

"I know, Jessica.", Genny replied. "Caroline just wants something more airtight before going to a judge because if we go for more too soon, Gerald and his father could destroy evidence. They also have enough friends to make this hurt."

"It's not like he's going to confess.", the redhead said. "Even he's not that stupid."

The ASAC considered for a moment. "Jessica, tell me everything you know about him. I want you to explain about every encounter you've had with the creep."

Jessica wrinkled her nose in irritation. "Are you talking about getting a profiler?"

"No…I don't think I need one, but I need to know as much as you can tell me…starting with the first time you met him. I also need to know about anything unusual, particularly since Daisy and Beau's wedding."

"We may want to get some coffee, Genny. This could take a while."

Genny looked at her phone. "Come on, let's get some coffee from the cart outside. I could use from fresh air."

Grabbing their coats to protect against the bite of the December cold, the two ladies walked out of Genny's office. As the ASAC let an agent know where she was going, Jessica glanced at a wall by the bullpen and was surprised at what she saw.

"Genny, why is Agent Bower's name under 'Special Agent in Charge?'"

'That asshole.' The petite woman stopped and stomped over, where she removed the name from the dry erase board and returned Aubrey's name and hers to the proper spots. "I'll explain on the way down."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

An hour later, Jessica stopped speaking and sipped her tea in Genny's office. "So that's it."

"Have you reported what happened to you in the locker room?"

Jessica closed her eyes. "No, because Aubrey would have beat the crap out of him and I didn't want my boyfriend to get into trouble."

Genny looked at the younger woman. "You also blamed yourself for possibly leading him on, so you decided to handle it on your own, especially after the lab almost lost some of their security funding two days later."

The redhead looked up in amazement. "How did you…"

"Jessica, I'm a female federal agent in a male dominated occupation. I didn't get to where I am by being polite. I had to learn to stand up for myself, too. The key is knowing when to ask for help."

"I thought I could handle it...I was taught to stand on my own two feet…"

Genny smiled. "That is something the boss loves about you, but Aubrey adores you, Jessica, and would want to help you. You know that, right? You have friends that would want to help you, too. I'm sure if Dr. Hodgins found out about Gerald cornering you and trying to bully you into sex he would do what he could for you."

"I know.", the redhead said with a nod.

"Talk to Hodgins...today. You need what happened to be on the record because we have to nail this slimeball with anything we can."

"Alright, I will."

Genny sat back in her chair. "Obviously, Gerald was behind those complaints about you not dressing properly for work. With his father being the driving force behind compromising the updated security for the lab, Harold Maxwell is now involved, too. It sounds like your fellow intern, or him and his father, were trying to make you quit the Jeffersonian."

"Why?"

"Because, Jessica, from what you've told me, the asshole is used to getting what he wants. Not only did you turn him down multiple times, you shamed him yourself, and Aubrey really made him look bad by causing him to pee his pants in public at the Gala, which was awesome, by the way."

"It is, isn't it?", Jessica said with a smile. "Every time Aubrey comes by the lab, people talk about it...and I kind of like being the girlfriend of the guy who makes Gerald Maxwell look bad."

"Yeah…I would, too, if I didn't have Hunter.", Genny answered with a sly giggle. "It's interesting that the jerk knew just how to get to you, too, like he knew the right buttons to push to make you nervous. However, I'm sure it's not the first time he's done this."

"But what about him slashing my tires? That doesn't seem to have any sexual connotation."

"He wanted you scared so you would quit. Jessica,", the agent said, "You're a reminder of his humiliation and rejection. Not only did you date other guys instead of him, but you got together with a man that he considers beneath him…a federal agent. Then, that same federal agent publically humiliated him. From what I've read and seen, Gerald has a very fragile ego, and you two ripped a big hole in it…practically emasculated him."

"He's got other women who will do anything to get him to notice them…"

"I know, Jessica, but you…seem to be something that has eluded him and that…makes him angry…and possibly dangerous. You've challenged his 'authority', and he can't handle it. Not only did he vandalize your locker, but he destroyed your property and ripped your pictures of family and of you with Aubrey. He's made this personal." Genny pondered before she had a thought. "Have you ever found your keys?"

"No…" Jessica shook her head.

"Maybe I'm reaching, but…taking your keys seems to almost be…like a silent fuck you for his keys at that Star Wars convention a couple of months ago."

"That's petty and—"

"He doesn't care, Jessica.", Genny said. "You caused him humiliation when you called him out and you had his keys, delaying his escape from a place he didn't want to be seen. He got a scratch in his car, marring the perfection that is his 'overcompensating for his dick' vehicle. He threatened you with a lawsuit, but you didn't bite."

"Yeah…"

"After his stunt at the Gala, he got suspended for his actions, which put his degree in jeopardy because his daddy couldn't get him out of trouble. He blames you for that. Then, he tried blackmailing you for sex, expecting you to jump so you could avoid him going after you in court, but you turned that around on him, too. So…he tried to drive you away from the Jeffersonian, threatening your career. My guess is that he and his father figured that you would feel guilty for the entire lab being in jeopardy, but they didn't anticipate Dr. B and Dr. Hodgins standing up for you the way they did."

"I still can't believe they went to bat for me at the Governing Board meeting last week like that...and I'm just an intern…", Jessica said with a nod.

"Jessica, Hodgins isn't just your supervisor and Dr. B isn't just your graduate advisor. It's obvious that both care very much about you, not just the reputation of the lab.", the agent said.

"They're not just my mentors…they're my friends.", the redhead said quietly. "I don't want them in trouble either…"

"Gerald Maxwell is angry now, Jessica. Breaking into your apartment…is more than scaring you. He took your trust fund bank book not to rob you, but make things harder for you. The birth control and the panties…you don't have to be a profiler to see that you're more than a conquest to him."

"What do I do, Genny?", Jessica whispered.

"We have one chance at this son of a bitch. My gut is telling me that he didn't toss that stuff. He took them…as some sort of trophy...to have power over you. We get a search warrant to search his stuff, and I guarantee we'll find them."

Jessica nodded in silence before noting the time. "Shit, I have to go. I have a meeting at the bank at 1:00 to go over my trust fund account. It's frozen but they will have to close it and transfer the funds. We also have to sort out what gets paid and what is rejected."

"If you don't mind me asking…how large is it?"

"It's not like its several million dollars…my paternal grandparents set up trust funds of 500,000 dollars each for my siblings and myself when we were born. Over the years they added to each until we turned 18 so it topped off at one million dollars."

"Are there any conditions to its use?", Genny asked as she took notes.

"The terms are very clear as to what the money is earmarked for: only college expenses such as tuition, books, and supplies not covered by financial aid packages or for living expenses like rent, utilities, buying a vehicle for getting to and from school and work, or major emergencies. Things like cell phones, car insurance, and stuff like that we were expected to pay for ourselves. Items are paid with checks or we have to produce receipts if the debit card is used. We turn the receipts into Andrea Price, our current accountant and trustee in charge of our accounts at the Bank of America on Dupont Circle. Any unauthorized purchase has to be reimbursed within 30 days or my brothers and I forfeited our entire fund unless otherwise approved by my grandparents or since they died, my father."

"So how does the money get disbursed?", Genny asked.

"Starting when my brothers and I graduated from the cooperative, $25,000 is deposited into an account July 1st. Our parents were the co-trustees since all six of us were minors when we started college, with us becoming our own trustees we each turned 21. We were expected to work hard in school and earn grades so we could earn scholarships and any other merit based aid for school because my grandparents didn't want us to be dependent on the family business. I, along with my siblings, would budget carefully each year so there would be leftover funds to add to our account each year if needed, especially for us that were going on to earn a Masters and PhD. Becoming a TA last year for Dr. B saved me a lot of money on tuition that wasn't covered by my fellowship, so right now I have just shy of about 125,000 dollars in my account."

"So what happens when you earn your PhD, Jessica?"

"The terms stipulate that when each of us turned 30, we gain full control over any remaining funds and are free to use the money as we wish since it is assumed that all of us would be finished with or have almost completed our educations by then."

"Your grandparents were smart.", Genny said.

"My great-great-great grandparents came from Scotland and built Saoirse Finn up from nothing. Each generation after them worked hard to make it the success it is today. Now my brother Jack and his life partner Greg run things, and our wines are sold in several restaurants on the Eastern Seaboard. My dad's parents wanted us to appreciate any success we had….and to know that in order to get far, you have to earn your own way, not just have it handed to you on a silver platter."

Genny found she admired her boss's girlfriend more than she already had. "I think if you go home you need to have someone there with you, Jessica. I, as the agent in charge of this case and as a friend, would feel more comfortable if you did that. Or maybe you should stay at Aubrey's. His security is top notch."

"I'll…consider that. Dr. B offered to let me stay at her house, too, until Gerald's arrested."

"Okay, well, I'll let you get going, Jessica. I'm going to go over all this stuff on Sipoletti because I need to update the boss on what's going on."

"I'm glad he has you, Genny." Jessica stood up and put her coat on. "He won't have to worry about Major Crimes while he's recuperating."

"I'm just the seat warmer, Jessica. I want the boss back. Aubrey's managed to clean up a lot of Halko's crap since he took over a few months ago. Outside of Booth, he's the best SAC I've worked with."

Jessica felt pride at her boyfriend's accomplishments. "I'm glad. Thanks for being straight with me, Genny."

"You're welcome. See you later.", Genny replied.

The redhead left the office, and the agent sat back in her chair. They had to get that nasty worm and she would find a way to do it. She was lost in her thoughts for a second before she was unpleasantly interrupted.

"So, I hear Jessica got her apartment broken into Tuesday night. Why is that a federal case?"

Genny looked back at Karen Delfs standing in the doorway and was positive the older woman was salivating. "We don't need a profiler on this case, Karen, and it's federal for reasons that don't pertain to you. Bye..."

"But if he stole particular items, I may be able to help—"

Genny moved her attention back to the file in front of her. "Got it covered, Karen. Thanks."

"I can help with a profile—"

"I haven't requested a profiler, Karen andI don't plan on it." Genny said tersely. "If something changes and I do need one, I'll contact Jake personally with my request. You're not going near this case with a ten foot pole…especially after the way you acted last night towards Jessica."

"I don't appreciate your implication, Agent Shaw—"

"I know you don't…and I don't care, Karen. Now, unless you have something else you need to discuss with me…goodbye."

Karen walked up to the desk. "I do…these shootings the last couple of days…I need to update my profile for the Vacchio case. Agent Chamberlain said you got the files from him this morning."

"Yes, because Adam and I are covering for Booth and Aubrey until they return to work. I'll let you know later today when I'm done with them."

Karen shifted the folders in her arms. "I don't have time to waste, Agent Shaw, and I don't appreciate you shutting me out because you have issues with me personally. I don't want to have to put a complaint in to the Deputy Director."

Genny sat back in her chair and smiled. "Go right on ahead. He and the Director are talking to the legal team now regarding what has happened the last couple of days in between fielding phone calls from Senator Winters, and they're getting ready for a press conference. I'm sure Deputy Director Stark won't mind having his valuable time taken away from those pressing tasks to listen to a profiler whine about having to wait her turn."

Picking up her phone, the agent held it out. "Would you like me to call him for you?"

Karen stiffened her spine, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose as she glared at the agent. "I don't want to bother him unnecessarily, but I don't have all day either. I have other cases."

"Then work on them. If you prefer to wait, go see your boyfriend. I'm sure he'll appreciate an apology for your horrible behavior last night as well."

When the annoying woman left, Genny closed her eyes for a moment as the last couple of days ran through her mind. Every instinct told her that it wasn't the end and that more would be coming before things settled.

"Fasten your seat belts, folks. It's going to be a bumpy night…or several nights…"

"Jessica...why didn't you tell me about this right away?", Hodgins asked gently before handing his crying intern a Kleenex.

"Thank you.", Jessica said quietly as she dried her eyes. "I thought I could handle it, Curly...and I didn't want Aubrey or anyone else in trouble because of me."

"Jessica...it's my job to help you when things like this come up. The Jeffersonian has a strict policy regarding sexual harassment. It's something that Cam doesn't tolerate and it's something I won't tolerate, either."

"But Antiquities-"

"Isn't like that anymore. Trust me, I've gotten to know Dr. Miller, and he's not like those assholes who turned a blind eye to Gerald. The Maxwells aren't going to sweep this problem under the rug this time.", Hodgins said. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Jessica."

"It's okay.", the redhead said. "I just thought that he would lose interest, you know? I mean, I have a boyfriend. Gerald's got women who will lift their skirts for him if he just smiles at them...and they're cute too. Why is he doing this to me?"

"Because he, and assholes like him, get off on it.", Hodgins replied.

"What if his father comes after the lab again, Curly?"

Hodgins pulled out from behind his desk and wheeled up to the young woman. "He can try, Jessica, but we have enough support built up so that it will crash and burn like the last attempt. Now, I'm going to call Dr. Miller and we're going to come up with a plan. Gerald's not going to get away with this, Jessica. You are brave to come forward with this...many women don't."

"If I were really brave, I would have told you right away."

"But you did say something, Jessica. That's the important thing.", Hodgins said with a smile. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Jessica got up and hugged her mentor. "What you're doing is exactly what I need, Curly." Breaking the hug, she saw the time and looked for her stuff. "I have to get back to Aubrey. I promised him we could watch a movie marathon tonight on Comet."

"How many movies is he going to make it through?"

The redhead put on her coat. "One, if he's lucky. His spleen was badly bruised so between that, the transfusions, and the surgery, he's really tired."

"Any idea on when he's going home?"

Jessica pulled her keys out of her new purse. "He has to stay on bed rest for 72 hours, which ends Saturday night. His vitals are good and Dr. Elias said that his wounds were healing well. She's thinking he may be able to go home Sunday afternoon."

"Tell him that either Friday night or Saturday we can bring Michael Vincent by. He has something for Aubrey. Angela helped make him make a small gift."

"He'll love that, Curly.", she replied.

"Oh, almost forgot.", Hodgins said before wheeling over to a box on the floor. "Here's the rest of your stuff from your locker. Caroline said since none of it was damaged, you can have them back."

"Okay.", Jessica replied before coming over and picking it up. Doing a quick search, she pulled out a long, fat object. "I still can't believe he didn't get to my Epi-Pen, but he's not the sharpest man in the world."

"I didn't know you were allergic to anything.", Hodgins said.

"Strawberries. I used to keep just one in my purse, but Aubrey nagged me until I got a second one. so it's one for work and one for home...although he thinks it needs to go in my purse instead."

"Not a bad idea, Jessica."

"It is when it's $600.00 for a two pack, but I have insurance. We'll see.", Jessica said. "I'm sure Aubrey is bored and waiting for me to bring me his things, so I should get going."

Hodgins wheeled up closer. "Okay, well, tell Aubrey we said hi. Good night, Jessica."

"Night, Curly.", Jessica said as she walked out the door.

When he knew his intern was out of earshot, Hodgins wheeled up to his phone and dialed an extension. After a few rings, he got an answer. "David...it's Hodgins...listen, I know you're probably on your way out, but I need to talk to you...yeah, it's about Maxwell...I just talked to Jessica Warren, and apparently he cornered her in the locker room and threatened her the Monday before Thanksgiving..."

Twenty minutes later, a tired Angela finished her work and walked into the Ookey Room. Sitting down, she nibbled on Twizzlers as she waited for her husband to finish his call.

"That sounds good, David...keep me posted and I'll do the same from my end. Thanks for your help. Night."

"Was that Dr. Miller?", Angela asked.

"Yeah...Gerald Maxwell has gone too far this time.", Hodgins said as he hooked his blue lab coat onto his meter stick and hung it on the rack.

"What happened?"

"Let's talk about it on the way home, Angie. I want to get out of here and I would rather talk about this when our son isn't around."

Karen finished the profile she was working on for the Cyber division and put it aside. Before she started the next one, she sat back in her chair and contemplated the last 24 hours while staring at the dull walls of her small cubicle.

Jessica Warren had managed once again to make her look bad in front of everyone last night. The horrible things she said to her at the hospital were simply uncalled for. Just because she didn't like the truth the profiler pointed out didn't mean she could be cruel. Then, she had to get the lab to humiliate her in public by calling her things like entitled...a stalker...overbearing…

Karen rolled her eyes in disgust, knowing that she was none of those things. She worked closely with those people, and she deserved to be part of their tight knit group. She, Karen Delfs, was an important part of the FBI. On the other hand, Jessica Warren was a graduate student who probably considered her time with the lab as a stepping stone to fame and prestige.

Why was it so hard for people to understand what a manipulative bitch that little girl was? What was so fucking intriguing about her that they wanted to be friends with that twit instead of herself, an accomplished FBI profiler? One would think lollipops came out of that girl's butt.

It burned her that while she worked her tail off at Georgetown to get where she was, it seemed all the redhead had to do was show off her super smart brain and probably drop her panties, if she even wore any, for all the guys in the lab to get her internship. She even nailed Dr. Sweets before he died.

What a nice girl...sleeping with her friend's boyfriend while she was pregnant. Daisy Wicks may have snagged an NFL player but she wasn't very bright in the friends department.

Karen gave the little bitch credit...Jessica was a good actress, because at times she almost believed that the intern was in love with Aubrey, but she knew better. Thanks to the gossip she was privy to, she knew that Jessica Warren was promiscuous until she decided she wanted to be James Aubrey's girl. Why Aubrey would debase himself and hook up with a slut like that was beyond her. A smart man wouldn't go near all that when he could have a woman with a solid work ethic, esteemed like her in her profession, and as flexible to a man's imperfections as she, Karen Delfs was. Yes, she was a few years older than Aubrey, but he needed a woman who was more settled than some flighty, young graduate student.

Karen was happy when that insecure, flighty intern showed her true colors and dumped Aubrey back in August, although her timing was all wrong. Of course, she couldn't just step aside gracefully when it was Karen's turn to be with the agent. No, she had to decide she wanted him back when it turned out the grass wasn't really greener on the other side. When Aubrey started hanging around with the little twit again, it pained her to admit that the agent showed himself to still be a sucker for a woman who said all the right things and opened her legs for him.

Then he didn't leave Jessica's side during his birthday party and acted all excited about the stupid gifts he got from her.

'An old record and some cheap car charger?' Karen thought. 'A real woman doesn't buy her boyfriend chinsy gifts like that.'

Then, that horrible ambush the following Monday at the Hoover. Recalling what Aubrey said to her at that meeting about his supposed feelings of love for Jessica and hers for him, Karen made a face as she had a fleeting moment of nausea.

'Best friends who are in love with each other? Please...that crap doesn't happen in real life.'

It was obvious that Jessica had finally realized that things were boring now that she had Aubrey back in her life. Why else would she brag and embellish stories about their sex life in a public setting? Aubrey was cute and fun, but it was obvious that he was the type to like simplicity and vanilla when he made love, something that Karen was sure frustrated the younger woman.

For Aubrey, Karen would have settled for mediocre sex because he was handsome, interesting, and they would've made a amazing power couple like Agent Booth and that snooty Dr. Brennan. Both of their careers would shine in the FBI, and she would be the envy of women everywhere. However, the agent screwed himself by settling for some college student who didn't appreciate decorum and her place. He would regret his choice, but she didn't care anymore. Since that terrible meeting in October, she moved on to Steve, who shared her more varied interests in sexual intercourse. He was a man that she could show off with pride.

Yes, it frustrated her that her boyfriend didn't look at her like Aubrey would look at Jessica, like a man completely besotted with a woman. However, she was almost 40, and it was harder to find a good man. Sure, Steve Bower was a flirt, and yes, he looked, but he knew better than to touch. The profiler knew that she kept her man entertained to the point he would never stray.

She was a little hurt when he acted like he was too busy to talk to her when she said hi after her little tête-à-tête with Agent Shaw, but he was probably busy working on his cases. Unlike Jessica, she understood that FBI agents couldn't drop everything for a chat.

Like hell would she doubt her boyfriend just because a liar and her friends said he made passes at them.

Suddenly she realized the constant fretting over the intern was giving her the upper hand. No way would she let a college student win over her. Jessica Warren needed to learn her place in this world...and Karen Delfs would be the person to do that.

She remembered Agent Shaw's closed lips about Jessica's case yesterday. Why would that little cunt's robbery be a federal case? It should be with DCPD.

'Knowledge is power.' Karen said to herself as he opened up the file search. Finding the case, she clicked the link, but was annoyed to see not the case file but something else.

ACCESS DENIED. TO REQUEST ACCESS CONTACT AGENT IN CHARGE.

Seeing the dialogue box below to contact Shaw, Karen grumbled, knowing the ASAC wouldn't grant her access to the case file. "That bitch...I'll just have to get some more juicy intel to get that red headed twat out of Aubrey's life...and out of DC."

After Angela and Hodgins got home, they sat down to a delicious dinner that Billy had made for them. He tried to focus on his son's stories about school to no avail. Even his father-in-law's ribbing didn't get much of a reaction from him. After a long and uncomfortable phone call to Cam for guidance on what to do, he retired to bed early.

However, sleep eluded him. He was restless as late Thursday settled into the early hours of Friday.

After several hours of frustration, the entomologist looked at his clock and saw 5:12 glowing bright and angry. Taking a deep breath, he debated on trying to sleep in another hour, but gave up as his meeting with Jessica before he left the lab last night kept playing in his head.

Hearing the intern recount how Gerald had called her crude names, grabbed her arm, and threatened her career and internship had made him sick to his stomach. All he could do was apologize profusely and promise it would be dealt with immediately. She had enough to deal with in regards to Aubrey recovering in the hospital after being shot by a suspect. The entomologist took his responsibilities as Acting Director of the Medico-Legal Lab seriously, and he had failed.

"It's not your fault, Hodgins."

Startled, he turned over and saw Angela looking at him. "Yes, it is, Angie."

The artist was sad as she watched her husband full of recrimination. "Hodgins, you didn't cause Gerald to sexually harass Jessica."

"Cam gave me this important responsibility while she is on her leave of absence. I'm supposed to look out for all the lab employees and what happened to Jessica was on my watch. I failed her."

Angela caressed her husband's head. "Hodgins, you've done a wonderful job covering for Cam. You're blaming yourself because Jessica's not just an employee, but our friend."

"All of this shit makes sense now, Angie.", Hodgins lamented. "The nitpicking about her wardrobe...the threats to cut our security budget. That asshole is pissed because Jessica won't sleep with him, so he ran to his father to help him drive her out when what he was doing didn't work. Obviously he expected to me run scared and fire Jessica to avoid any further issues.

"Only because Harold Maxwell doesn't know us very well, Hodgins. Bren told me how you stood up for Jessica and the lab at that Governing Board meeting. I was very proud of you. Cam was impressed when she heard about it at Thanksgiving."

The entomologist rubbed his wife's thigh. "All I could tell Jessica was how sorry I was."

"So Dr. Miller is having a staff meeting in Antiquities on Monday morning?"

"He sent out the email before he left scheduling it for 7:00. He's going to review the sexual harassment guidelines and give a refresher on employee conduct and policy. He emailed me last night saying that butthole Gerald said he was Florida and couldn't make it.", Hodgins said before getting a bite in his voice. "Angie, I have to make sure something like this never happens again.

Angela took her husband's hand. "And you will. We're going to get that son of a bitch. Not just for Jessica, but for anyone else he has done this to."

"Thank you, Angela.", Hodgins said.

"For what?"

"Helping me not feel sorry for myself and for making me look at the big picture.", the scientist said. "Will you be mad if I go to work early? I can't sleep."

"No, because I'm coming with you."

Hodgins put his hand on his wife's abdomen. "Angela, our little guy in there needs his mom to get some rest."

"His mom can't rest when his daddy needs my help. Now I'll tell Dad where we are going and I'll help you get around in a few minutes."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

An hour later, the couple arrived to the lab. After Angela turned the main lights on, they went to his Ookey Room.

"I'm going to get some of the administrative crap out of the way so I can concentrate on Jessica's case.", Hodgins stated. "When's Dr. B coming in?"

"As soon as she gets the kids to school and the daycare. Brennan said she planned to work until Booth is ready for discharge, which should be later today, and then she'll work from home. Is Jessica working today?"

"Yeah…I told her she could have today off, too, but she felt guilty for not being here yesterday. I couldn't have her on the floor, though since we're working her case, so Dr. B and I gave her permission to work in Limbo."

"What about next week?"

"Jessica asked to have next week off and to work half days until Christmas, if possible, because when Aubrey is discharged, he will need help at home for the next few weeks. The other interns pitched in to help cover some of her shifts, even Oliver, to my amazement. When I talked to Dr. B yesterday, she said Jessica had met the 350 hours of work experience her program requires last week, so she would be fine academically."

"Wow…", Angela replied. "Okay, I'll leave you to your work and I'm going to see what I can find on that Gerald asshole…after I have some breakfast. Our little guy is hungry."

Hodgins watched his wife leave and smiled before wheeling himself to the pieces of tire from Jessica's Jeep. 'Angela's the greatest.'