(Judas on a Pole)
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I don't own Bones.
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Even though Russ had been back in her life for a few months, Brennan still didn't feel as close to him as she did when they were young children. There was always that moment when he turned his back on her and gave her to the state of Ohio that stood between them. He had abandoned her just like her parents had and that was very hard to forgive or forget though she was willing to try.
After her mother's body had been found seven months earlier in an unmarked grave, Booth had tracked down Russ and after a few shaky conversations, Brennan had decided to allow her brother back into her life. The fact that her father was still alive placed a barrier between her and her brother though. Unfortunately, Brennan couldn't overcome that niggling idea that Russ had known their father had been alive the whole time. In all those years when her father had been gone, he had never once tried to remove her from Foster Care. He hadn't bothered to contact her and her trust in her father had been crushed. She had been left to defend herself and that betrayal by family was not something she expected from someone who loved her. She had learned independence, but that had not kept her from regretting the loss of her family.
Brennan only trusted one person completely and that was Booth. He knew that and accepted that burden and it was a burden. His girlfriend had no reason to trust anyone and it took a lot of time and effort to win that from her. Angela had persevered over time and had become Brennan's friend. Zach and Hodgins had also earned her trust and they had become people that Brennan knew she could count on. She didn't completely trust them like she trusted Booth and Angela, but they were part of her inner circle and she did enjoy their camaraderie, her sense of belonging.
A burned body found on the roof of a hotel had started a chain of events that had left Brennan shaken and Booth trying to help her through it. The fact that that charred body blew open a conspiracy in the FBI that almost ended Booth's career and jeopardized Russ' life had just been more outrages that Brennan could place at her father's doorstep and she found that very hard to forgive. Two bodies, horribly burned, a graphic message from her father to people he considered his enemies had left no doubt in anyone's mind that Max Keenan was a very dangerous man. He was a killer and death lay in the wake of that con man no matter where he went.
The fact that Russ had abandoned his girlfriend and his step-daughters to run away with their father just added to Brennan's contempt for her real family. Max obviously didn't want her and she had to accept that. She had no family except for Booth.
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"Bones, I'm really sorry that your father and Russ just took off like that, leaving you behind." They were finally back home in Brennan's apartment after waiting for a tow truck to come and pick up Caroline's car. Brennan had driven them back from the seminary to the Lab and afterward Booth had borrowed Brennan's car, tracked down Caroline, handed over Special Agent Augustus Harper's notes which Max had given to Brennan and they were quickly presented to the Attorney General who used them exonerate Booth and return him to the folds of the FBI.
"I wouldn't have gone with them, Booth." Brennan stepped into her bedroom to get ready for a bath. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to clean up and go to bed. "Dad is a murderer. It's my job to catch people like that not run away with them."
Booth followed Brennan into the bedroom and leaned against the door frame watching her remove her jewelry and place it in a box on the dresser. "I know that Bones. I just meant I'm sorry that your Dad left you again. You don't deserve that."
"I'm just one of those people that don't get a family." After she said it, she realized that Booth might misinterpret what she'd just said and the look on his face confirmed it for her. "I didn't mean that the way it sounds, Booth. I just meant I don't get a father and siblings. I have you, you're my family, but there isn't anyone else."
At first Booth was taken aback by her statement, but he knew she was just trying to accept what her father and brother had done. Their continued betrayal was destroying her faith in family and it left Booth with someone heartbroken who didn't deserve it. "That's not true, Bones. Angela is like a sister to you. Hell she's closer to you than my own brother is to me. And Hodgins . . . Hodgins is hard to know, but he really likes you and he's your friend. Zach . . . well he's weird, but he's your family too. There are all kinds of families in this world. You've got a family, Bones and we're here for you. You're not alone."
Filled with sadness, Brennan moved over to where Booth was standing and placed her arms around him. His arms pulled into his warm embrace and she felt his love, his kindness. "Yes, you're right. I've been without a father and brother for fifteen years. I should be used to it by now. It's just . . . he was alive this whole time. I assumed that Max was dead like Mom and he wasn't. He left me in Foster Care. He never tried to contact me until seven months ago and that was just to warm me off and now . . . and now, when he does come back into my life, he pretends to be a priest, he murders two men and he takes my brother away from me again."
"Bones, your Dad killed those men to try to protect you." Booth knew Brennan was only seeing the negatives, but Booth needed her to see the positives too. "He loves you so much, he risked getting caught coming back here to protect you and Russ . . . "
"Don't Booth." Brennan pulled away and stared deeply in to her boyfriend's eyes. "Don't gloss over what he did. My father is a murderer. He not only killed Delaney and Deputy Director Kirby, we know he had McViker killed in jail too. Don't try to make him out to be better than he is. Good guys don't murder people or have people murdered."
If there was something Booth was sure of, it was when to give in. "Don't be mad. I'm not glossing anything over." Her anger was now bubbling under the surface and there was no way Booth wanted to have an argument with his girlfriend about her father. "Just remember, I'm here, Bones. I'm your family. Angela and Hodgins and Zach are your family. Even Cam is your family now. The hell with Max and Russ. They can take care of themselves." If I get my hands on those two idiots . . . I can't believe they did this to her again. Shit!
Brennan let her anger go. She knew that Booth was trying to be kind and he was not taking Max's side. I love him so much. He's so kind. "It's alright Booth. You're right. I do have a family that I can be very proud of. You and Angela mean so much to me." I will not cry because my father and brother abandoned me again. Tears are useless and it will not change anything. "Was Caroline angry when she heard about her car?"
His mind shifting gears, Booth nodded his head solemnly. "Angry doesn't even begin to cover it. I turned it into my insurance, they'll cover it, but I do have to pay the deductible. Caroline wants it fixed. She loves that piece of shit and doesn't want to get a new car."
"I'll pay the deductible." Brennan felt terrible that Booth was going to pay for something her father did. "Max did that and he's my father. I'll pay the deductible."
Since he knew if he objected, she'd just get angry, Booth nodded his head. He had calmed her down and there was no way he was going to rile her up again. She'd been through enough the last few days. They'd all been. "Sure, if you want to." Booth moved into the room and sat down on the bed. "Why don't you go get a bath and then go to bed? You're exhausted. We both are. We should just go to bed early tonight."
"Yes, I agree," Brennan removed a t-shirt and shorts from her dresser and walked over to the bathroom. "Even though we cleaned Kirby's blood from the floor, I'm going to have to hire someone to come in and strip the floor and refinish it. The blood stained the wood."
After she entered the bathroom, Booth laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Max had betrayed his daughter once more and Booth hoped he never saw the man again. All he does is make Bones cry. Neither one of us won the Dad lottery and that is a fact.
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