(After The Stargazer in the Puddle)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Brennan had found it very amusing that Angela and Hodgins had fled their wedding when they found out that Angela was already legally married to someone else and she found it even more amusing that Hodgins was spending so much money trying to track down the missing husband so Angela could file for divorce. "See how ridiculous marriage is Booth? Angela got married in Fiji because of a whim and now she can't marry Hodgins because she's already got a husband. A husband she forgot she had. You have to agree that Angela isn't too serious about marriage if she can have a husband somewhere in the world and yet not remember that fact.

Wisely, Booth remained silent while he worked on a crossword puzzle.

Ignoring the fact that he hadn't answered the question, Brennan continued the conversation. "She doesn't even know the first husband's name and now Hodgins is using a detective agency to look for him."

His puzzle done, Booth folded the paper and tossed it in the trash. "Hodgins can afford to look . . . I'm not going to be able to go to lunch with you this afternoon. I have to go see someone at the prison, but I will be back in time to go to dinner with you for our date night. It's Friday, so traffic might be rough, but probably not too bad, at least I hope not."

"Alright." Puzzled that Booth hadn't mentioned the meeting earlier, Brennan filled two travel mugs with coffee and handed one of them to Booth. "Are you working on a case? Do you wish me to go with you?"

Booth didn't want to lie to his girlfriend, but he also didn't want to cause her any pain either. He decided to tell the outline of the truth. "Caroline wants me to interview a con at the prison. She's got a trial coming up and the guy gave us some information I need to check on. You know she doesn't like surprises during trials. She wants all the answers before she asks the questions."

"Okay." Brennan grabbed her purse and laptop and walked towards the door. "I'll probably go to lunch with Angela."

Before Brennan left the apartment, Booth caught up with her and kissed her. "Hey, see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you too."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Booth sat in the interview room at the prison, patiently waiting for the man he needed to see. There was a routine that had to be followed when prisoners were moved around the building and Booth was aware of it.

Soon the door opened and Max walked in. "Booth what are you doing here? Is Tempe okay?"

"Yeah she is." Booth remained seated and waited for Max to sit down. "I'm here for Ms. Julian. She's prosecuting Charles Hadley's case. He was the Special Agent in Charge at the Hoover before he was arrested as a co-conspirator for the murder of FBI Agent Augustus Harper . . . We have the notebook that you gave Bones, but it mentions some pictures that Gus had taken of some crime scene in Ohio and they weren't in with the notebook or in the safety deposit box where you kept the rest of Gus' evidence."

Max remembered reading in the notebook about some pictures, but they hadn't been in the safety deposit box that he and Christine robbed. "I don't know where they are. They weren't with the rest of the stuff that we stole. Is it important?"

"I'm not really sure." Booth was disappointed, but if Max was telling the truth they may never find the pictures. "Caroline seems to think so. We still have enough to convict Hadley with. It would just be nice if we could pile on. It would make it less likely that his case could be overturned. "

"Sorry, I can't help you." Max leaned forward and placed his arms on the table before him. "Is Tempe going to come see me again?"

Since Booth didn't know the answer to that question, he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know Max. She keeps saying she's going to come over here and then she doesn't . . . You know Max . . . she's special . . . she has a hard time understanding her feelings and right now you're just confusing the shit out of her. I know she loves you because she's said so, but man . . . what you and your wife did was wrong. You left her behind when she was 15 and she couldn't take care of herself. Russ . . . what a joke. Russ just dumped her into Child Protective Services and took off. She has a right to hate you and she kind of does . . . You knew she was special and you just left her behind." Booth stood up and paced over to the door, but instead of opening it, he turned to face Max.

Max knew from Booth's posture, that the agent was trying to place some distance between them. "Look Booth, we had a mechanic after us. He wanted to kill me and Christine and my entire family. You don't betray the kinds of people we did and live long. We had to separate ourselves from our kids. We hoped that even if we were murdered our kids would be safe."

"Except they weren't." Booth crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "Bones was almost killed in Foster Care. She was locked in the trunk of a car without food or water. Thank God a social worker came around and demanded to know where Bones was. When the family wouldn't say where she was the social worker searched the house and found Bones in the car in the driveway. I don't know what made her suspcious, but she saved Bones' life . . . Bones was just a kid, Max. She didn't understand how the world worked and she didn't understand motives or what made people tick. She still has that problem. She's socially awkward . . . hell I'm not telling you anything new. You knew it and you still just ran away leaving her behind . . . I don't know if she's going to come and see you or not, but I will back her up no matter what she decides. I'm her family . . . me and she's happy because I'm trying my damndest to make sure she is . . . If she does come back to see you, just . . . just be kind to her. She wants her father, but she's afraid you're just going to leave again. If you're convicted of murder you could end up on death row and in the end your death would just be more leaving. You should have just stayed away. You're causing her nothing but pain."

"You're a good man, Booth." Max had heard every word and he didn't object to anything that was said. "I had to come back. I'm getting old and I wanted to see my daughter before it was too late. If I'm convicted, then it will be awhile before they kill me and during that time, I want to be here for my daughter. I want Tempe to know me before I die. I love her Booth and I can't keep away anymore. I need to get to know her and her to know me. We can still be a family if she'll just let me. This trial will be worth it if my Tempe will forgive me and let me be her father. I just want Tempe to know that I love her and that I never meant to hurt her."

Max seemed sincere and Booth realized that this situation was a complete mess. If his girlfriend accepted her father back into her life, she could still lose him if the state won its case against him. She'd have to go through mourning for her father all over again and that filled Booth with dread. "I'll talk to her, but I don't know if I can get her to come back or not. She loved you and your wife so much and when you disappeared she just . . . she just closed herself off from the world. When I met her, she thought that love wasn't real because you taught her that. She thought it was all chemicals in the body and that those chemicals eventually wear off. Sometimes she says things to me that makes me think she still doesn't trust that love is real. That's all on you and her mother . . . and Russ, a brother she adored until he abandoned her too. I've tried to prove to her that love is real and that I love her and most of the time she believes me, but you know what Max? She still thinks I'm going to leave her someday. That won't happen, but I can't prove it. Only time will take care of that problem."

Booth's words were harsh, but Max sat still and took in every word. "I'm not going anywhere either Booth. If I'm convicted I'll be right here, ready to visit her whenever she wants to see me. If' I'm exonerated, I'm not leaving the District. I'm here to stay. Count on it because I mean it."

Not sure if Max was sincere or not, Booth hoped and prayed that the older man was telling the truth. "Good, I've got to go. I'll try to get Bones to come and see you. Fix this Max before you run out of time."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Diner had been wonderful and Brennan had appreciated the fact that Booth had picked a vegetarian restaurant. They took turns finding new restaurants for date night and Brennan had thought it was so sweet that Booth had found a restaurant that also served vegan dishes. She knew that Booth didn't like meatless meals so she appreciated it even more that he had been so thoughtful.

Walking side by side, their hands clasped loosely together, the couple moved down the street enjoying a little window shopping and just enjoying the fact that the night was cooler than normal. As they walked, Brennan finally broached the subject of her father. "While you were at the prison, did you see Max?"

"I did." Since Brennan was so relaxed, Booth thought it might be a good time to talk about her father. "He looks fine. He did ask me when I thought you'd be coming by to see him again."

Perplexed about her feelings about her father, Brennan felt more frustration than any other emotion at that moment. "I still don't know what I'm supposed to feel about Dad, Booth. He's a conundrum. He was a high school science teacher and a bank robber. I knew him as a kind compassionate man, but he's a murderer too. He killed the Deputy Director of the FBI and then gutted his body to send a message to his enemies. My father had dangerous enemies. I just . . . I just . . ."

He wanted to fix this problem for Brennan, but Booth knew that he couldn't. Stopping their movement, Booth turned to face her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "For the moment, why not forget about what Max was and just remember that he's your father. Just place that bit of your father in a box and deal with that."

"I can't forget that he's a murderer, Booth." Brennan stepped forward and placed her arms around her boyfriend. "I want to accept him, but he's the antithesis of everything I believe in. I don't know what to do."

Booth held her in his arms and tried to make her feel safe. "Bones, I don't know what to tell you. I think not seeing him is causing you more pain than avoiding him. I know you, Bones. Yes you're confused, but in this case I would be too. You need to give yourself permission to just be a daughter and go see your father. Give yourself permission to ignore the crap he's done in his life and just talk to him. I'm not saying you have to forgive him for abandoning you or any of the other shit he did. That's up to you, but by staying away, you're letting your past control your present. There's a lot of stuff not said between you two. Do you want to blow the one chance you have to get to know your father again?"

She thought it over for a moment and finally stepped back, kissing Booth before releasing him. "He is locked up, so it's not like he can run away again. I have control in this situation and it's a very odd feeling." Brennan turned so that once more they could continue their walk. As she took his hand in her hand, Brennan sighed. "I just wish I knew where Russ was."

"Ask him the next time you see him." Their movements slow but purposeful, Booth glanced at the front of an antique store as they passed it. Not betraying his interest, Booth made note of the address of the store and decided he'd come by sometime next week to check out the display he had just seen. "Let's go get some ice cream."

"Ice cream?" Brennan was flabbergasted. "We just finished dinner thirty minutes ago. How can you be hungry?"

Amused, Booth stepped up his pace down the sidewalk, causing Brennan to increase her stride. "Hey I know a little Italian restaurant down the street that sells homemade gelato."

"I guess a small dish won't be too filling." Brennan loved gelato and she knew that Booth knew that. She loved that he was trying to find a way to cheer her up. "Of course, we can always do some exercises later to work it off."

"Exercises." Booth laughed. "Just what I had in mind."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.