A/N: So it seems that there's more to Maxco's business transactions than meet the eye. How is Beau's dad involved? And is he the only one? Read on to find out.

Some slightly spicy bits in this chapter, but nothing too hot to handle.

Thoroughly relaxed after making love, the couple had been asleep for a while when Jessica woke up around 2:15 AM. Feeling cold, she moved to snuggle with her boyfriend so they could sleep comfortably in each other's warmth, but she was surprised to feel nothing but empty sheets next to her. Opening her eyes, she saw his side of the bed was unoccupied. "Aubrey?"

There was no response. Jessica quickly grabbed her robe and tied it loosely around herself. Finding her slippers, she noted that Aubrey's pajamas were not where they had tossed them earlier that evening. Hearing a few noises, she walked out of the bedroom. Climbing down the stairs, she saw a light on in the den. As she peeked around the door frame, she wasn't surprised to see Aubrey sitting on the floor, going through the contents of a cardboard box.

Unsure whether she would be intruding on something personal, Jessica remained where she was. "Need some help?"

Startled, Aubrey saw his girlfriend standing in the doorway. "Jess, what are you doing up? It's late..."

Jessica walked in and knelt next to her boyfriend. "Well, I was cold and wanted my favorite heater because I didn't have any pajamas on, but he wasn't there. I had a suspicion about what you were doing, but really, Aubrey, you should be in bed. You have to get up for work in a few hours."

"I have some comp time coming, so I emailed Stark and the agents in my division to let them know I'd be in late. My agents can handle themselves for the morning and they know to call me if there's an emergency of any sort."

"Okay, that's taken care of, so tell me...why are you going through these boxes now? I thought you were going to check your father's case first before doing this."

"I was, but...I just couldn't sleep, Jess. This was weighing on my mind." He felt comforted as she gently stroked his temple, but he hated that she was up with him at such an early hour. "Jessica, go back to bed. You have to work on your dissertation tomorrow."

"Yeah, but I can take a nap later in the day and you can't. Now, do you want to do this alone or would you like me to help you?"

Aubrey picked up another box and opened it, finding several old pictures of his parents. Weighing his need for privacy with shutting Jessica out, he made a decision. "I...would like your help. Some of these things are making me a bit...emotional at times."

Jessica could see that he was struggling with opening up, but she knew that being supportive was what he needed at that moment. "No problem. Should I start a pot of coffee?"

The agent was annoyed that he still had lingering fears about letting Jessica in, but seeing her waiting for him to respond without a hint of judgement put him at ease. "Yes, please. I would appreciate that."

"Okay, I'll be right back. I'll give Skinner some food while I'm out there."

Aubrey watched her walk away and smiled. Going back to his search, he saw a familiar wooden box. Unable to stop himself, he opened it and found the small gray jewelry box still inside. Pulling back the lid, he once again gazed at his grandmother's ruby ring.

'This ring would look so beautiful on Jessica...wow, I'm really thinking about marriage...but it's a really scary step…it took us forever just to get the courage up to move in together...oh, I'm so not ready….but still...it's a nice thought...''

"What a beautiful ring. Was that your mother's?"

Startled once again, Aubrey knocked over the large cardboard box near him and the contents spilled out over the floor. "Shit…"

"I'm sorry, Aubrey…" Jessica set down the two mugs she'd been holding and helped him pick up the scattered materials. "I didn't mean to spook you again. I just saw you looking at that ring and you seemed almost...transfixed by it. I'm assuming it was your mother's?"

Aubrey nodded as they put the fallen items into a few piles before sitting back down on the floor by the futon. "Yeah...it originally was my maternal great-great grandmother's, who passed it to my great grandmother, her oldest daughter, then it went to my grandmother, who kept the tradition alive by giving it to my mother because she was the oldest daughter. When Mom died...I got it."

"I love that silver filigree and how the diamonds flank that ruby. Judging by the design, she must have received it around the 1920s." Jessica smiled as she looked at it closely. "It's so lovely."

"You really think so?"

"Oh yes, Aubrey. I've always loved vintage jewelry because it has so much character and history, as well as being more beautiful than that modern stuff today, like Daisy's engagement ring. The stone in her ring is so huge that it's practically gaudy...it almost looks fake."

Nodding in agreement, Aubrey felt inspired and held it out to her. "Want to try it on?"

Jessica's eyes widened at the suggestion. "I'd love to...but...are you sure?"

"Yeah...go ahead. My mother won't mind.", Aubrey replied with a smirk.

"Okay…" Jessica took it from him, and after a moment of hesitation, slowly put it on her left ring finger. "Wow...it fits really well. Superman, this ring is so gorgeous. If we ever have a daughter, it should go to her so we can keep the tradition in your family alive."

Deciding not to reveal the ring's true purpose, Aubrey nodded. "I was thinking just that. Besides, the ring clashes with my regulation suits...and it's not my birthstone, so..."

Jessica snorted and hit him on the arm. "Smart ass…"

"I'll show you a smart ass…", Aubrey growled playfully.

The agent tackled his girlfriend on the floor, to her happy laughter. However, it wasn't long before their playfulness turned into something more intense as he opened up her robe and she pulled off his t-shirt and pajama pants. Tossing his clothes nearby they came together on the floor, knocking over a few piles formed from items Aubrey had taken out of boxes.

"You're so beautiful…", Aubrey moaned into her skin as he peppered her navel with kisses before making a trail south.

"I love you…", Jessica breathed as Aubrey pressed himself into her.

Aubrey took her hand in his and continued to move inside of her, her beautiful moans egging him on. Pushing further when he felt Jessica crest, he finally fell with her. As they held each other, he pulled her close and rolled onto his back, landing on her bathrobe. Noting that the ring was still on her finger, he smiled as he admired it.

"Wow, Aubrey...we haven't had middle of the night sex in a while...good job.", Jessica chuckled as she snuggled with her boyfriend, who grabbed the afghan on the futon to cover them.

"You're welcome." Aubrey gently rubbed her back as they lay on the den floor. "Sorry I'm keeping you up. I should let you go back to bed"

"Aubrey, you're the one who has to work in the morning…"

Aubrey kissed the top of her head. "I'm going in around 11ish. I did work almost 12 hours both Monday and Tuesday, and Genny's back from her honeymoon, so I think I've earned a morning off. Outside of the Vacchio and Durgis cases, nothing on my desk is too pressing."

Jessica rubbed his chest as they laid together in a comfortable silence. "I'm sorry about your father, Superman."

"I'll be fine. I have to be." Aubrey kissed her hand tenderly where she was still wearing his mother's ring. "I can't...let him take over my life. I just...we need to solve this case, Jess. I have to know if my father is merely a greedy con man or if he's also murderer and possible terrorist."

"We will.", Jessica said quietly.

Aubrey smiled. "You sound sure of that."

"I'm a genius, remember?", Jessica said as she sat up. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she shrugged. "It's after 3:00. Do you want to do search through more boxes or put it on hold until later?"

Aubrey rubbed his eyes. "Maybe some sleep would be good, but we should go upstairs. Do you mind helping me go through all this stuff tonight?"

"Of course not." Jessica tugged on her bathrobe and giggled. "Aubrey, your cute tush is on my robe, and I'm cold."

Aubrey looked down and saw Jessica tugging onto the item below him. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

The agent moved so she could get her robe back on before pulling his pants back on. He was reaching for his shirt when something from one of the knocked over piles caught his attention. Crawling over, he saw it was a bunch of photographs that had fallen out of a nearby lock box.

"Holy shit, we must have broken the lock when we knocked it over…", Aubrey said quietly. "This box was my father's...he kept in his office. He didn't like anyone touching his stuff and we were under strict orders to never try to open it."

Jessica crawled over to her boyfriend. "Think there may be something useful from there?"

Aubrey thumbed through photographs. "I'm checking right...now…" Stopping on a photograph, the agent sat back and stared at it. "Jackpot."

Seeing his intense gaze, Jessica looked over his shoulder and gasped. "Holy crap. Where was this taken?"

"I'd know that view anywhere. It from the top of the Empire State Building. Ironic…" Aubrey pointed out everyone. "My dad, Craig Stephenson, John Higgins and Alex Stevens." Turning the photo around, he read the caption. "'Good times with Higgins, the cousins, and me. October 1979.'"

"Wait, Stephenson and Stevens are cousins?", Jessica asked. "What was the name of the lady who also runs Histavark...Clark. Andrea Clark. Wonder where she is…"

"She isn't here but that doesn't mean she didn't know them if she ended up going to Baruch College." Aubrey continued to look at the photo. "When Genny gets back from Lexington, maybe she can help me research these Histavark guys. We have at least two founders of this stock trading firm being buddies with Maxwell's CFO and my dad. Tomorrow I'll go through my father's case box...I just don't believe it...I have so many questions..."

"Well, let's see what Genny comes up with tomorrow over at Washington and Lee. It looks like the CFO is the one that connects everyone in some way." Jessica saw Aubrey's attention was still on the picture in his hand. "I know you suggested we get some sleep, but do you want to keep looking instead? I did make a full pot of coffee."

Aubrey knew that he would be exhausted later on but he also realized what he had to do. "I want to keep looking, Jess. I...just have to. I won't be able to sleep anyway."

"Okay, but I do think you should reconsider taking the day off, Aubrey. You can go in on Saturday if you want." Jessica got up and kissed the top of his head. "I'll go put the the coffee in a carafe and I'll grab your bag of Cheetos, and an apple too, for you since you're probably hungry right now."

"You always make me work up an appetite, Ms. Warren." When Jessica left the room, Aubrey continued to stare at the picture. "Dad...what the hell have you been up to?"

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

At 10:30, a nauseated Genny was driving Jessica's Jeep when she got off at the exit leading to Washington and Lee University. When she'd gotten the phone call last night, the ASAC was amazed at how many connections had been found. She'd agreed with Booth that all the players had to be watching the cases closely after what happened last fall, so to show up as a federal agent working an investigation could tip off someone. With that in mind, Genny had polished up her acting skills and was prepared to go undercover while doing research on their players in the case. To make her cover more plausible, Jessica had dropped off her vehicle for her use before she and Aubrey had gone home last night.

Pulling in the library parking lot, Shaw finished the ginger ale she'd nursed during the drive down, hoping to quell her nausea. Thankfully, between the dry toast she'd stolen from Hunter as she left the house that morning and the pop, she was beginning to feel normal again. Shaking her head, she grimaced as she recalled why she felt like crap.

"That's the last time I let my husband and son talk me into eating chili dogs with crumbled Fritos on top for dinner. Why, oh why, did I eat three of those things…" Genny rubbed her stomach as another wave of nausea hit. "And not only that, I'm getting fat from eating all that junk. These pants are getting tight. I need to get myself into gear...and so do those two. Starting tomorrow, Hunter and Danny are going to eat more vegetables, and we're going to start exercising as a family..."

When she was ready, she grabbed her laptop bag and made sure that her sidearm was secured underneath her sweatshirt before she made her way to the library. As she got closer to the entrance, she rehearsed her cover story. She was a graduate student writing a thesis on the history of women graduates from Washington and Lee. Finding out that the first female hadn't graduated until the 1970s made the story plausible.

Checking her reflection in the window, Genny smoothed her pony tail one more time. "Hopefully looking younger than my age is going to come in handy today."

Walking inside, she found the circulation desk and after explaining what she was looking for, she was led to a resource area.

The librarian gestured toward some bookshelves. "All the hard copies of yearbooks are over there. If you're interested in researching any of our societies on campus, the historical library in the next room has photos and exhibits, as well as some materials on microfiche. I would recommend checking out the senior theses as well and they are on that wall. A few people have written on similar topics as they had attended Washington and Lee. We are a historical school of rich culture."

"I'll do that, ma'am." Genny put her laptop bag on the table and pulled out her computer, along with a legal pad, pencils, and pens. "Thank you for your assistance."

She booted up her laptop, which had a picture of the Nationals baseball team covering up the FBI logo. When ready, she headed right over to the yearbooks and pulled all of them from 1972 to 1981. Hauling them to her table, she set them down before going into the next room.

Slowly, she carefully perused each exhibit and framed group photographs while taking notes. She carefully examined the photos for Omicron Delta Kappa's newly inducted class of 1976 and then moved on to the photos of 1977's inductees. On the top row, she spotted Andrea Clark, the final founder of Histavark.

Genny read Clark's information, written when she was inducted into the honor society during her final year at the School of Law. Her future plans had included moving onto Baruch College in 1978 to begin the classwork for her master's degree in economics. Muttering to herself, Shaw made an entry into her notes. "Bingo...get proof she went to school up there and we've got everyone."

Genny continued reading and the woman's career goal after graduating from Baruch set off even more bells in the agent's brain.

"After obtaining my masters degree, I will transition to becoming a securities attorney with the goal of founding my own stock trading firm."

"She would know how to go fast and loose with the SEC and tax codes as well as avoiding the law.", Shaw muttered to herself. Pulling out her phone, she was about to take a picture when she saw another inductee three photos to the left, causing her eyes to nearly pop out. "You've got to be shitting me…"

Taking multiple photos of the inductees, Genny sent the photos to Booth and Aubrey. Continuing her search of the 1977 inductees, she was not surprised to find Harold Maxwell and Craig Stephenson. Not seeing anyone else familiar, she moved on until she saw the fraternity directories of the last fifty years.

"So according to our research, Harold Maxwell was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha...here we are. I'll grab 1971 to 1979 to cover myself."

Hauling the heavy books to the table, she secured her stuff before running upstairs for a needed cup of coffee and munchies. Going back to her small study room, she began her research and it didn't take long to find what she was looking for.

"Oh...Craig Stephenson was a member of the fraternity, too. Not surprised...and there's Martin Pixler." Scanning some casual pictures further down the book, Genny was surprised again. "Wow, Pixler is all snuggly on a couch with Andrea Clark. This is getting better and better."

Scanning the book, she stopped on a page with all the men in a team photo for the camera, dressed in uniforms. "Look...here they are on the fraternity's intramural curling team." She rolled her eyes as she read the caption. "Oh, this is rich...they called themselves 'The Slick Dudes'. How clever is that...not."

Turning a page to some candid photos, her eyes widened when she saw something else. "I'll be...Harold Maxwell with Denise...Bates, better known now as Denise Pixler, but no Mrs. Maxwell in sight. She's all cozy with him but he's more stiff. Oh Denise...you're way more into him than he is into her. What a tangled web we weave…"

Taking copious notes and photographs, Genny put the items back and began to pack up when she stopped. Following a hunch, she went into the thesis sections and pulled several of them. Setting them out, she got a bottled water from upstairs before settling in for the day.

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

Aubrey woke up on the floor of the den, a dozing Jessica snoring softly next to him, surrounded by dozens of photographs and other items. Looking at his phone, he groaned. "Shit…it's after 11:00."

He debated with himself before typing a quick email to Stark and Booth letting them know that he was taking today off and would be back tomorrow with plans to work on Saturday. Just as he put his phone down to cuddle up with his girlfriend so he could finish his nap, his phone buzzed. "Now what…"

Picking it up, he saw there was a message from Genny. Opening it, he saw the photos she had taken earlier along with a quick synopsis of what she had found so far. "Son of a bitch…"

Hearing her boyfriend's epithet, Jessica woke up. "Superman, what's wrong…"

"Genny found some interesting information so far at Lexington." Aubrey showed Jessica the pictures as she sat up. "Look at this one a few photos down from Andrea Clark. That's the warden from Hazelton...the one that Booth and I crashed with the night we visited my dad back in November."

Jessica paid no attention as the blanket covering her fell, leaving her naked from the waist up. "Lawrence Brinton...are you sure that it's him? This is a 40 year old picture."

Aubrey nodded. "Oh yeah. He's gone completely gray and put on about fifty pounds, but that's him." Looking the page over, he came up empty. "I don't see his wife Nancy anywhere...I guess they met after college."

"Definitely interesting, but Aubrey, this just proves he went to school with one of the founders of Histavark. It could be a coincidence."

"Yeah, I know, but I remember how nosy he was about me and my dad and it didn't seem right. This photo was taken at the induction of an honor society and according to his summary, he was a law student. Interesting, considering what kind of career he has now, don't you think?"

Jessica had to agree. "You think he's involved, don't you?"

"I don't know, Jess, but at the very least it's a very suspicious coincidence. First thing we need to do is check his financials and his employment history. I'll call Booth and then we can start digging again through all this stuff."

"Okay. I'll start some breakfast while you're doing that." Jessica got up but stopped suddenly. "Oops, I still have your mother's ring on." Pulling it off her finger, she gave it back to her boyfriend. "Here...if something happened to that I would feel so guilty."

Feeling unexpectedly sad that she had taken the ring off, Aubrey carefully put it back in the grey box. "Thank you very much. It...meant a lot to my mom."

"Well, whoever wears it next should be proud of where it came from." Breaking up the slightly awkward moment, Jessica turned and headed out of the room. "I'll get some food going."

"Thanks." Grabbing his phone, he called his friend. "Booth? Did you get Genny's text messages?...yeah, that is beyond what I was thinking...she says she's doing more research and will be home tonight. Do we want to meet here and discuss what we have now?"

Aubrey nodded as he listened to Booth's response. "Yeah, that's cool. I found some things in my dad's stuff, including a photo of him with Stephenson, Higgins, and Stephens. According to the picture, Stephenson and Stephens are cousins, and they both have ties to Canada...Booth, I don't know if he still is or not, but everything is starting to make a little sense...yeah, we have to wait for Hunter and his colleague to get justification for the IRS to do an audit on Histavark and on Pixler's...no, Jess hasn't said anything to Daisy...I agree...the fewer people who know, the better."

Aubrey nervously scratched his leg. "Yeah, I'm home today. I told Stark that I was sick and I'll be working Saturday. He didn't seem to care, just told me to get better...Jess is making us some breakfast, so how about we keep in touch?...Damn it, Booth, I'm not only about food...there's sex, too."

"Ugh, we've talked about this, Aubrey. I don't want to hear about your sex life with Jessica. Knowing you two, it's kinky and weird…"

"Also very plentiful, earth shattering, and fun, including the romp we had on the den floor eight hours ago. Besides, you have no room to talk. I saw what you bought for Dr. B when we went to Karine's in December.", Aubrey bragged happily. "Okay, serious now. What time do you want to come over?"

"The kids have a half day at school today, so Bones said she was going home to work so she could be there when Christine got home. We've asked Mrs. Applegate to watch them tonight in case we get home late. After that, our weekend is strictly family. I feel enough like a crappy dad since we've been working a lot lately and depending on people to take care of our kids."

"Booth, you're a good dad, and no worries. I'll do some digging of my own on Saturday since I doubt anyone will be at the Hoover. So how about you all come by around, say 6:00? Maybe Jess can go out and can get the stuff for Dr. B's whore sauce to feed everyone."

Booth chuckled over the phone. "Man, that's still funny...just remember not to say that in front of Bones. I got into trouble telling you and Wendell about that. 6:00 works. See you then."

"Bye, Booth." Aubrey ended the call and exhaled slowly, wondering just what they'd gotten themselves into.

"Superman, food's ready."

Getting up from the floor, Aubrey made his way towards the kitchen, where Jessica put two plates down before turning back to the stove. "Booth, Dr. B, and probably Genny and Hunter are coming over for dinner tonight so we can go over stuff if that works for you."

"That's fine." Jessica continued to cook. "So breakfast is eggs, salad, toast, and Greek Yogurt with the rest of the blueberries in the fridge since we're running low on groceries. I planned to go tomorrow, but if people are coming over tonight, I should run to Kroger's after breakfast, I guess..."

Aubrey listened to Jessica natter on about plans for the day and little domestic things and felt very emotional all of the sudden. Before he knew it, he came around, put his arms around her waist and held her tightly against him..and then a few tears fell.

Alarmed, Jessica turned around to her boyfriend wiping away a few tears. "Aubrey, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

"Sorry...sorry…" Aubrey closed his eyes before looking back into Jessica's worried ones. "It was just...finding out this stuff about my dad...then seeing you here at the stove...talking about things like how we need groceries and more fabric softener. I don't know, Jess...I just...we screwed up so badly last summer...I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you right now."

"Aubrey, don't even think about that, okay?" Jessica caressed the silver streak at his temple. "Yeah, we messed up, but we also figured things out and just like I told you earlier, I'm not leaving you. I don't give a shit about what comes out about your dad, whether he's just a con artist, terrorist, murderer...whatever. I'm here, alright? Our friends...and our family is here. Just lean on us, all right?"

"I'm supposed to be strong for you…"

"...and you were after I was attacked last month. You put up with me when I was an emotional roller coaster who took all my anger out on you, and I'll always be sorry for treating you like that. James Aubrey, I love you, but you have to let me in, okay? You can't shut me out like you did last time."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry...just talk to me, Aubrey. What's going on in that mind of yours?"

"Ever since Hunter came to us with his suspicions, I keep having the same question in my mind...what kind of monster is my father? We're beyond the conning people out of millions, Jess. This is murder...stock fraud...tax evasion...money laundering...possible RICO violations...even possible international terrorism if this stuff went to the wrong people over in Croatia." Aubrey sniffled. "Why is it that just when things in my life are going right, this son of a bitch finds a way to derail it? Now it's going to affect you, Jessica. I just…I mean, things are going to get very complicated and messy for you, too..."

"I don't know what my life would be like if you weren't here, James Robert Aubrey. So, whatever happens, happens. I hope your father isn't into this shit too deep, but if he is, I'll be with you throughout all the fallout...the bullshit...always. You're stuck with me."

"Thank you." Aubrey hugged her again. "I love you, Jessica."

"I love you, too, Aubrey." Jessica smiled as she let him go. "Okay, how about we have some...brunch, we take a shower and get cleaned up, and then after I run and get some groceries, we go through more of those boxes?"

"That sounds...perfect."

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

Eight hours later, Booth, Brennan, Hunter, a late arriving Genny, Jessica, and Aubrey were at the dinner table having coffee while discussing the case.

"I'm not surprised that he's possibly involved in all of this." Aubrey nodded as he sipped his coffee. "I knew something was off about him, especially since he's all chummy with my dad."

"We don't know that yet, Aubrey, although Brinton being in the same law class and honor society as Andrea Clark, who was a founder of Histavark, is an interesting coincidence." Booth poured himself another brew and after topping off Brennan and Hunter's, he sat down. "I would like to find out why he switched over to corrections. Not that it's a bad career choice but it seems...almost a step down from being an attorney, you know."

"Boss, I can contact the DOC and get his file tomorrow." Genny cringed as she rubbed her stomach. "Ugh, better start laying off the coffee. Heartburn...ugh..."

Hunter glanced at his wife in concern. "Honey, aren't you supposed to go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon?"

"I pushed it back a week, Hunter." Seeing her husband's exasperated face, Genny quickly reassured him. "I'm not dying, okay? With us getting married, moving you into my house, plus all this new stuff with the case, my body is a bit stressed out. Besides, it's getting better...really. I just need to watch what I eat. I'm not used to eating the same weird things you do...there's bound to be an adjustment period."

Rolling his eyes, the accountant pretended to glare at her. "Fine, but if it keeps up, I'm taking you to the clinic myself."

"Fine…" Genny turned to Jessica. "Men...can't live without them...can't shoot them."

Booth, Aubrey, and Hunter look offended as the three women chuckled. "Jess, women would be very lonely without us men…"

"Yeah, but we have options...what do men have besides their hands?", Jessica retorted, cracking up Genny and gaining an approving smile from Brennan.

"I concur with Ms. Warren." Brennan contemplated for a moment. "However, there are sexual aids...such as masturbatory dolls with appendages designed to simulate a woman's vagina-"

"Bones!", Booth chastised as the doorbell rang. "Aubrey, you expecting anyone?"

"No...I'll go see who it is." Aubrey walked up to the video monitor and groaned when he saw who was there. "Folks, hide that case stuff. It's Daisy and Beau."

"Shit…put it in the kitchen." Booth got up, following by his wife, Jessica, and the other couple as they moved the case material to a counter in the back of the kitchen.

When it was clear, Aubrey opened the door. "Daisy...Beau...what's up?"

"We were just leaving dinner and I realized we hadn't seen our friends in a few days.", Beau said, "Daisy thought we should stop by on our way home and I agreed."

"Angela is babysitting Lance, tonight…" Daisy walked in and was surprised to see people. "Oh, I didn't realize you had company. Hi, Dr. B...Booth. Wow, having a dinner party tonight?"

"Daisy...Beau." Brennan smiled faintly. "Yes, we're having dinner with Agent Shaw and her new husband, and right now we're talking about their honeymoon. You know, they went to North Carolina and they did many things, including frequent sexual intercourse in the three days they were there…"

"Bones!", Booth whispered harshly.

"Booth, obviously Dr. Wick and her husband are familiar with sexual intercourse, as is Aubrey and Ms. Warren, and now Agent Shaw and her husband…"

Used to her mentor's honesty, Daisy walked up to her friend. "We just had dinner with Martin and it was...so amazing…"

"Martin...as in Martin Pixler, your father-in-law?", Booth asked in surprise. "I thought you all weren't talking and stuff…"

"We weren't, but he called and asked us to dinner tonight at Rasika. When we got there, he apologized for being so pushy about Beau's career. He still feels that Canada is better for him, but he understands why Beau made the choice he did. He also wants to get together with Beau and go over the operations of all of the Pig Out Palaces."

Curious, Aubrey stepped forward. "Really?"

"Yeah, Dad wants to show me some things about the books and wants to prepare for the future. So weird, man, and kinda creepy, considering what happened to Harold Maxwell. He pushed it so hard that I finally agreed to spend the day with him at the company tomorrow."

Booth and Aubrey looked at each other. "Wow...do you think something is wrong?", Aubrey asked the football player.

"He swears there isn't. He just feels that it's time to go over things is all." Beau laughed. "I told him there's no rush because I'm staying here but he was really, really insistent. He was all like, 'You may need to be in charge of the business someday, son. You can't play football forever.' It's just weird because while he's discussed it with me over the years, he's never been so aggressive about it before..."

"Of course, my mother-in-law stayed home.", Daisy chimed in.

Beau took her hand. "I don't want anything to do with Mom until she apologizes to my Daisy. She refuses, so she's no longer part of my life. I'm glad my dad and I are talking, though."

"Yeah, that is good.", Booth said quietly. "Parents are a part of you, and they usually only want the best. I'm glad you and your dad got over your rough patch, Beau."

"Me, too.", Daisy said. "Listen, I talked to Angela today and she wants to put together a gathering for Dr. Saroyan coming back next week."

"Daisy, Cam isn't going to want bells and whistles…", Booth started but was interrupted.

"We're thinking of doing something next Friday to throw her off track or something the week after that. Are you all game?" Daisy looked at Genny and Hunter. "You two also, of course, since you hang out with us now."

"Um, I guess so.", Jessica said quietly. "Will Dr. Saroyan be pissed? I need to stay on her good side to get a reference."

"Cam really isn't the type to want something like that, Daisy.", Brennan counseled. "However, if you all insist on this, I'll help in anyway I can."

Daisy grabbed her purse. "Good, I'll let Angela know that you're all on board. I hear what you all are saying, but I think Dr. Saroyan would appreciate a welcome back after being gone six months."

Everyone nodded before Beau stepped through the living room towards the kitchen. All the attendees began to panic, so Jessica, being closer, moved to cut him off. "Beau, where are you going? We're all in the living room."

"Checking out the spread over there on the counter. Whatever you folks had for dinner tonight sure smells good…"

Jessica stepped in front of him. "Beau, the kitchen is a mess. You don't want to go in there."

Confused, Beau gave the redhead a look. "I don't care if there's a mess, Jessica. I just want to see the food. I love food…"

An embarrassed Daisy followed him towards the kitchen. "Beau...get out of there. You don't traipse through someone's house as a guest unless invited."

Beau saw the concerned faces but didn't get it. "I just want to see what they had for dinner, Daisy. Good grief, it's not like they have some secret FBI case in there."

Brennan stepped up as everyone squirmed uncomfortably. "We had wheat pasta with puttanesca sauce, spinach salad, steamed broccoli, and these wonderful garlic knots from a store near Aubrey's old apartment…"

"Mr. Leonelli's store. It's awesome.", Aubrey chimed in with a smile.

"...and we're just having coffee and conversing like friends do.", Genny chimed in, anxiously waiting for Daisy and Beau to leave. "We're going to help clean up later."

Jessica rushed into the kitchen and made a small plate up for Beau. Grabbing a fork, she trotted back out and handed it to him. "Here you go. No need for you to go into that messy kitchen. When I cook, I scatter stuff everywhere..."

"Thanks...wow, this is amazing!" Beau ate the few bites and after giving Jessica back the plate and utensils, turned to his wife. "Babe, you have to find a way to make that. I know cooking isn't...your strongest thing, but it's so good, even with that shitty whole wheat pasta they ate with it."

"I'll see what I can do, Beau.", Daisy said through clenched teeth.

When the couple didn't move to leave, Brennan stepped in. "Well, it's been nice seeing you Daisy...and you, too, Beau."

Daisy waited, but when an invitation to stay did not come, she pouted slightly. "Well, I guess we'll be on our way."

"Good night, everyone." Beau stole a garlic knot from the basket left on the table. "Damn, these things are good."

"Glad you enjoyed it, Beau...have a good night. Drive careful, you two.", Aubrey said sarcastically as he walked the couple out. When he shut the door, everyone exhaled in relief. "That...was close. Jess, good job keeping him from the kitchen."

"You're welcome, but I think we hurt Daisy's feelings by not asking them to stay.", Jessica said.

"I felt bad, too, Ms. Warren, but Daisy and Beau could potentially jeopardize our investigation, albeit unconsciously, especially now that Mr. Pixler is reaching out to his son."

Genny looked around the room. "Well, let's help clean up before we sit down and finish discussing the case. It's getting late."

It didn't take long to put leftovers away and clean up. Refilling a carafe with coffee, the six retreated to the living room to continue talking.

"So, is it pessimistic of me to wonder if Mr. Pixler is reaching out to his son because he's afraid something bad may happen soon?", Aubrey asked.

"No, it's smart." Booth sat back in the recliner. "I mean, it could be a coincidence and Martin Pixler is really trying to reconcile with Beau and Daisy, but the fact he's pushed so hard to discuss his company's future does make me wonder."

"Well, Jose got a lot done today regarding research into Pixler's Pig Out Palace." Hunter sipped his coffee. "Pixler opened his first restaurant in 1982 here in DC and eventually expanded with two other franchises, one in Richmond and one in Annandale. Slowly, they began turning a decent profit and he and his family, while not millionaires, were financially comfortable."

Hunter picked up a file. "Then about sixteen years ago, he opened twelve new franchises all within a span of five years. Let's see…in Virginia he opened them in Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Hampton. He went into Maryland with Hagerstown, Germantown, Sharpsburg, and Olney. In West Virginia, he opened up restaurants in Huntington, Wheeling, Charleston, Clarksburg, and Morgantown."

"Clarksburg and Morgantown...interesting.", Booth remarked. "Sorry, Hunter, go ahead."

"All were a success at first but with his restaurants spread so out far, he didn't inspect them as much as he should have. Eventually, little things, like using outdated equipment, crept up and when the recession came in 2008, like many other businesses, Pixler's profits began to recede. Then, he had a rash of subpar inspections. Foodwise, he passed, but his buildings were in need of repair, older equipment began skirting building and fire regulations. Folks, we're talking up a couple million dollars for upgrades."

Aubrey whistled. "He was probably in hock up to his neck with that rapid expansion and all."

"He was, Aubrey. Jose did some checking and he was rejected for loans at several banks here in DC and the metropolitan statistical area. An interesting thing is that most of the banks he'd applied for a loan had Craig Stephenson on the board of directors."

"With an old friend from college, it should have at least been a help in getting a loan."

"You would think so, even with Pixler almost near bankruptcy. However, out of the blue, he came into a whirlwind of cash and in a matter of a few years, his franchises are doing well and he opened the one in Maxco three years ago."

"Because Maxwell and Maxco bought a high amount of shares of Pixler's stock at prices that were way over value. How much did he buy, Hunter?"

"Let's see...when Maxwell bought in around 2012, he paid 5.2 million dollars for an ownership stake of 37.5%. However, according to Jose's research, the company's total net value at that time was 6,015,096 dollars and change." Hunter sighed softly. "From the looks of it, the SEC investigated the transaction when it occurred but found nothing illegal."

"Still, that's pretty interesting.", Jessica said, doing a mental calculation. "That's almost 87%. Maxco should be the majority shareholder."

"I know. Most companies would have insisted on getting the bang for their buck." Hunter chuckled. "I talked hypothetically to a few people I know, and in their opinions, if Pixler would have stayed small, he probably would have been able to ride out the recession. He made a big mistake expanding too much too fast and his real estate choices were bad ones."

"That's what Beau said. According to him, Maxwell helped him with the original locations but he helped his dad find different locations after getting the influx of cash to modernize.", Aubrey said.

"Well, Beau Pixler must know his real estate, because the failing franchises that moved to new locations are doing gangbusters. However, the ones in West Virginia are hit or miss."

Genny thought about what her husband said. "So if Pixler was smart, he would close them?"

"If I were his accountant, I would advise him to close the Morgantown and Clarksburg stores and put the money into the stores at Charleston, Wheeling, and Huntington. Wheeling is a border town and they get a lot of Ohio customers since they're located right off the bridge on 470 that connects West Virginia and Ohio. The othe two are college towns, and Charleston is the state capital."

"Morgantown has West Virginia University, Hunter." Booth said. "A place like Pixler's should be doing amazing business, especially around football season there."

"Yeah, you would think, but the Pixler's there, strangely, is several miles away from the college. It's not even near the freeway or their wharf, which is popular, but is only surrounded by…"

Hunter grabbed another file and sifted through it. "...some houses, a high school, and a nearby arena whose main business is curling."

"Curling, huh?" Genny nodded.

Booth looked at another file. "Hmmmm...Histavark sponsors a curling team. Maybe that's the place where they practice."

"My friend at the IRS is still digging but he was suddenly pulled into another case today. He's going to work on it this weekend as a favor to me. He agreed that something seemed off about these transactions and he posits that the taxes may have been miscalculated somewhere along the way. If we're lucky, any discrepancy my friends finds in their taxes can be used as justification for a field audit." Hunter scratched his chin. "If we don't find anything, we may have to get a subpoena and that can take time, especially since we'll have to show probable cause. Unfortunately, I'm stuck until we can get in and get a look at their records."

"Yeah...we need that final piece before we can go to Stark with this." Aubrey put his hands on his hips. "Okay, we've gotten a lot done tonight. I think we should meet up again tomorrow or Monday at the latest. Booth?"

"Sounds good to me." Booth crossed his arms over his chest. "This case is important, but we all have lives, too. Hodgins and the lab are on standby if we find anything."

Hunter helped Genny with her coat. "I'll let you guys know when we can get into those companies."

"I appreciate that, Hunter." Booth looked at his wife. "Bones, are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, it's my turn to read to Christine tonight." Getting her coat on, the two couples said their goodbyes and left the house.

After Aubrey and Jessica walked them out, they returned to the living room where they cleaned up in silence. After giving Skinner a little food, the two went to bed. Few words were said as they brushed their teeth and did their nightly rituals. It wasn't until they got into bed and started reading their tablets that Aubrey spoke.

"Jessica...I'm scared."

Turning to Aubrey, the redhead saw him staring at the wall with his jaw clenched. Putting her tablet aside, she leaned over and took his hand. "What about, Aubrey?"

"My father is not an idiot...far from it, but this isn't just some con game anymore." Aubrey hesitated as he gathered his thoughts. "These people...might be selling out their country for money and that jackass is probably involved in some way."

Jessica didn't say anything, only holding his hand as he continued to speak.

"What will happen when all this comes out? Will people look at me like they used to look at Booth at the FBI after he got out of prison?" Aubrey gulped. "Will I still have the confidence of my agents? If the FBI deems me a security risk, I'll lose my clearance and then my career is in the toilet. I might have to resign, you know. I could practice law I guess but I've never tried a case…I'd have to apply to the DC Bar as well as Virginia and Maryland..."

"Aubrey, stop and and look at me! Right now! Damn it, look at me!" When he turned, his paleness scared her. "James Aubrey...will people whisper at you regarding your dad? Yeah. There's going to be a few idiots who will speculate because they don't have brains to do their research. However, when everything comes out, your record will stand on its own merit. You've turned in your father to authorities twice. If that doesn't say loyalty to the FBI and justice, I don't know what does."

"But...your career...your family…"

"Aubrey, don't worry about my career. It will be fine. As for my family, they know all about your father and they love you anyway."

"Jessica…"

"Aubrey, you'll still the man I watch science fiction with...eat chili dogs with because they make you horny for some reason…" Jessica continued as she heard her boyfriend snicker. "You'll still be the man who sometimes rips my panties because he desires me sexually...so much that he can't stand it…"

"Well, you're hot…"

Jessica ignored him and continued. "...the man whose nose I almost broke when he tried to kiss me before we got drenched by a nasty rain puddle...and who later on saved my life when I was almost run down by a car, finally kissing me as we were sprawled out on a cold, wet sidewalk."

"You could have died, Jess…"

"...and you'll always be the man who saved my life a second time when a monster tried to kill me at the lab. A man who loves me the way I am."

Gently, she kissed him on the lips. "Most of all, you're my best friend...and the only man I'll ever love. No matter what happens, I'll always be here with you."

Grabbing her, he hugged her tight before his tears fell. Jessica did nothing but hold him as he continued to purge himself, knowing there was a hard battle ahead.

But they had each other...and they would survive.